The Heist
by Kaeru Shisho
Summary: Duo's planning a robbery, considering a reality TV show, and falling for the man who can lock him up for good. Can his friends help him? Can he help himself?
1. Now What, Artful Duo?

The Heist

Summary: Duo's planning a robbery, considering a reality TV show, and falling for the man who can lock him up for good. Can his friends help him? Can he help himself?

Disclaimer: I don't own any part of Gundam Wing or its characters. I make no monetary profit off this story.

Warnings: AU, male/male pairings, language

A/N: This story takes place in a universe more like ours today, where the colonies exist on land, not in space, and where the world is on the cusp of change. Thanks goes to Waterlily for her tireless editing and thoughtful suggestions throughout.

Chapter One- Now What, Artful Duo?

* * *

Duo watched the crowd lining the street. The people were watching for the princess and prince, and not, Duo was gambling on, their pocketbooks and other treasures. A nip here, a wallet there, and his week's earnings would be made in a single afternoon, giving him plenty of downtime to kick back and enjoy life. Or he could pay off a couple debts and sleep better at night. Whichever.

From the sounds of the cheers, he could tell the royal entourage was on the verge of arriving right where he stood. He'd need to move further up the street and collect the last of his trade before finding a scenic viewpoint.

That's when he noticed the blue-eyed guard regarding him. "Ummm, yumballs."

From the uniform, Duo took him for one of the Elite Royal Guard, who would probably fall in shortly after the open limousine passed and follow the parade back to the palace.

"Man, she does pick the hottest looking ones," he conceded.

He was _almost_ positive that as suspicious-looking as his actions might have appeared the guard couldn't have seen him actually steal anything. _Almost,_ but, since he'd come under the scrutiny of the man, he couldn't very well continue pickpocketing, so he decided to call it a day and take the glower as an invitation to come closer.

Staring him down was signs of interest, right? Duo was sure of it and he was the gambling sort.

"Hi!" he said. Since that earned no response he rattled on. "Nice day for a parade, what? No rain and all?"

"Hn."

Okay, so he wasn't dressed all natty and all, but he knew he was a good-looking guy. If this guard had a gay bone in his body, he'd notice. Duo would just have to try harder.

"Fresh air? Say, maybe after this you'd like to saunter over to that bar over there and have a drink?" He knew when he was losing a guy and when to spice up the pot. "It's nearly noon. Buy you lunch? They make a to-die-for hot wings plate with fries, or is it 'chips' they say here—?"

"Shut up."

"Ah-?" Duo wondered where he'd gone astray, but then the roar of a car drew his attention to the street action behind him.

It was Princess Relena like a slender reed in green silk shooting out of the ivory leather interior. Beside her towered Prince Milliardo, fresh off the front in full military dress and platinum hair whipping his red jacket as they breezed along.

The war was officially over, but there was always a hotspot requiring military action someplace. What baffled Duo- and he'd be first to tell you he wasn't up on the latest political intrigues—was where had they dug up a step-brother to Relena on such short notice?

Currently there wasn't a King of the kingdom. When the war ended, Relena wanted to reform the government, turning it away from a monarchy, leaving the ruler of Sanc in question. And the New Alliance seemed excited to accommodate her. But, apparently, something had changed again. And there he was, presenting his handsomeness to the public.

"Wow," Duo exclaimed, meaning the prince.

The Princess on the right side nearest to where Duo and the guard stood, waved to her cheering admirers and tossed gold-wrapped candies to the children. The candies glittered in the sunlight and the children screamed with glee.

Duo found it all rather saccharine for his tastes. He liked the darker, rainy days. Better for hiding what he did. When she looked his way, he thought for a second they were connecting, but no, her line of sight pointed over his shoulder and just to the right, at the guard. Right. Her hand-picked guardsman.

Duo looked down at the muddy gutter.

Gold pelted down, some landing on his head and more on the sidewalk, the uplifted hands, and into the muddy gutter.

And yet! What's that?!

He knew what he'd seen was something else and shifted his boot to cover it, squishing into the soggy muck. Something intended for the guard, maybe, or maybe just his imagination?

As he was about to try one more time to interest the young guard on duty, the man marched away without a word, his back ramrod straight and stride military precise.

"Well, it would have been tricky, a thief dating an Elite Guard fellow," he said, sighing. "Nice ass, though."

He waited for the crowd to disperse before he bent over and mucked about where he'd stood until he found what he was looking for. "Yes!" He looped a finger around the castaway and without drawing attention to it or what he was doing, quickly wrapped the mud-encrusted item in his handkerchief. Casting a look around to see if he'd been observed satisfied him that he had not and he took off for his hideaway.

He kicked the mud off his shoes as he entered his tiny hovel of an office set at the back of a "friend's" restaurant. "Let's see what we got here, eh?"

He dumped the contents of his pockets out onto the chipped linoleum counter, ignoring most of it for the time being. The cloth he unfolded carefully over a basin, while a trickle of rusty water washed the debris off a bracelet.

"Oh, yeah!" It wasn't just a gold chain; there were diamonds set into intricately worked gold sparkling in his hand. "A gift _fit_ for a princess to toss away to a secret lover!"

He tried processing the value, where he'd have to go to sell it, and got stuck on the who and the how. It was far too valuable to go to the usual hock shops, he could see that. When he turned over the bracelet, he could see the Royal House of Sanc hallmark, the royal seal. If he tried to pawn it off, he'd be suspected for stealing it and thrown into a very dark and very deep, unforgiving and forgotten dungeon somewhere.

So, now what?

He could take it apart, melt the gold, and sell the gems separately, except that he had no facilities for melting gold. Trowa Barton could; he'd crafted several gold emblems for circus decorations in the past. He was also just as likely to cheat him on the weight or turn him in, the clown. Sure, he was his best bud, but there were times… dark smudges on their relationship in the past. Trowa was just a little _too_ mercenary, a little too willing to do about anything for a dollar.

"Where are the honest tradesmen when you need one?"

The only way, Duo decided, that he could make anything off this bit of luck would be to return it and hope for a reward. "So, just how does one get a hold of the palace lost and found?"

Another contact came to mind, a man who might have an answer to that problem, so he rang him up. Chang Wufei ran an upscale, mostly legitimate, business with connections to the Sanc elite and, most importantly, to the palace. He'd know something and he wouldn't sell him to the highest bidder. Probably.

"Hey, 'Fei-man, it's me. Duo. No, nothing _dire_ at all. Where do you learn your vocabulary words, man? What's that? No, I'm not in need of dough either. We-ell, yeah, a kind of favor, but—WAIT! It won't cost you a penny! Promise. If it does, I'll cover it. Honest! Heh, heh, I know where you're coming from, but not this time. It's really not illegal either. Just let me tell you, okay? Stop jumping to conclusions. Right. Well, here's the thing. I found something that belongs to the princess and I want to return it. How do I do that?"

The process was worked out over the next hour. Duo was to write a short note and Wufei was to deliver it to the proper authorities and wait for a response. Simple as that. Nothing like knowing the right people.

Duo didn't have to wait long.

Wufei called him an hour after the note had been delivered. "You are to take the found object to this location at this time. No earlier or later. Nowhere else. Understood?"

"Gotcha! Thanks, 'Fei. I owe ya one."

"Yes, you do. Good bye."

It was the bar Duo had suggested he and the guard meet, so he knew, he just KNEW, he would be greeting Mr. Blue Eyes by the end of the day.

Duo saw him at once, sitting at a table facing the window. Beside the guard was an older gent in somber clothes.

Duo slid into the chair facing the guard. "Hello again."

But the young man didn't smile. So, it wasn't going to be a social call after all. All business. Duo smiled anyway because he was a friendly sort of guy with nothing to hide. He'd done nothing wrong, this time.

"So, whatcher looking for? 'Cause if it's a match to what I found, then it's yours, but if it's not then it belongs to someone else. My mistake and all."

The older man smiled at him. "My name is Pargon. I am an aide to Miss Relena, and an old family friend. This is Captain Heero Yuy of the Sanc Elite Guard."

"Pargon? Glad to meet you, I'm Duo. Hello, Capt'n! Whatcher got?" He carefully filed away the names for future use.

Pargon removed a photo from his pocket and placed it on the table, picture up.

It was the bracelet.

"The princess lost this when it accidentally slipped off her wrist," Pargon explained.

"Accidentally, eh?" Duo smirked as he locked eyes with the guardsman, Heero. "Well, I can see how that could happen. She's pretty…slender… and it's kinda big."

"You have- it!" Heero uttered the words, biting off more he seemed to want to say.

"Yeah, I do." Duo's smile reached his eyes, but he made no move to hand over the object.

"I told you he'd do this," Heero grumbled to the older man. His eyes turned and riveted onto Duo's next. "What do you want?"

"Want? Me?" Duo asked, all innocence. "Oh, I getcher. Nothing, for me personally. I only want to see to it that it's returned to its rightful owner, which, as far as I can tell, is neither of you."

He either held all the cards at the table and was a winner, or he was about to be shot on the spot. It looked to him as if that Heero fellow was itching for the latter.

"If you kill me, you won't get it back," he said.

Heero's eyes went wide with surprise. Heh, heh… he'd guessed right. Cool.

Pargon chuckled. "No one is going to kill you, Mr. Duo."

"Maxwell. Mr. Maxwell. Duo's the first name. And that's real kind of you to say, sir, but if you check that guy's right hand, it's fingering the gun in his pocket with a bit more relish than I'm comfortable with."

"Mr. Yuy!" Pargon admonished the guard much like a schoolmaster might an errant child.

Heero blushed and folded his hands on the table. "I don't trust him."

Not an apology, but it was probably the naked truth. Duo could respect that, but still! He made as if to stand and go.

"Let's give him a reason to trust us," Pargon said kindly. "So, Mr. Maxwell, you would like to give the…item… to Her Highness in person, then?"

Duo relaxed and smiled approvingly. "Just so I know she actually gets it and I'm not fingered for a crook later when it doesn't happen to make it back into her treasure box, if you get my meaning?"

Heero jumped to his feet and slammed both fists on the table, rattling the glasses. "Why wouldn't we return it? Are _YOU_ calling _US_ double-dealing thieves!?"

"Sit down!"

It was an order. And, apparently, Pargon's orders were Heero's commands to be followed. He plunked himself down into a sulky slump.

"I agree," Pargon said, directing his speech to Duo and not to the guard. "You should receive the honor you deserve as an honest citizen returning a very valuable keepsake, and you have every right to see that it is done properly. I am certain that the princess will be delighted to meet such an honest, loyal subject first hand."

Wow! Oh, yeah! "You mean, I get to meet the princess?"

"Far more than you deserve," Heero muttered.

"That's cool, really, really cool. When?" Duo asked Pargon, ignoring the surly, but oh-so handsome man opposite him.

"If you have the…item … on you, we can go right now," Pargon said. "We'll take you."

"I don't got it on me," Duo said, ever cautious. "But I can get it in a minute. Can I bring a friend along?" An eyewitness, just in case.

"No!" Heero snapped. "He's turning this into a three-ring circus. I said he would. That sort always is up to no good."

Circus? Good guess, Heero. "Just a friend for backup," I assured them both. "He doesn't have to meet the princess, just see that things are kosher and I get out okay."

"I can assure you everything will be above board," Pargon said, thinking it over. "However, I suppose you would feel more comfortable in the company of a friend."

"I gotta call him first. He might not even come and then it's back to just me taking my chances alone, okay?"

"Agreed," Pargon said before Heero could object again.

Duo walked to the back of the bar and placed a call to his borderline-trustworthy buddy. "Trowa? Glad I gotcha. Say, you gotta minute? Maybe thirty or so. Just need someone to watch my back." Duo mentally counted up what percentage of the cash he'd stolen that morning he'd be willing to part with. "Yeah, it pays. The usual. Where are you now? Can you be at Gundam Bar in ten? Cool. Oh, it'll be good, don't worry. A story you can tell your grandchildren…okay, Catherine's grandchildren, then. 'Kay."

He returned to the table, where the talking died the moment he arrived back. "He's coming. We got time for a beer." He winked at the glowering guard. "I'll be right back with the…item. I'll take the ale on tap."

Whether it was Pargon or the guard who bought him the drink, although his money was on the old man, one was waiting for him when he'd returned from his hidey-hole office. He downed it quickly before his friend arrived wanting one of his own.

Pargon drove. Heero sat crammed into the back with Trowa and Duo. Although it only took five minutes to get to the gates and another two to tour the grounds and stop at a side entrance, it felt all of a tense ten minutes.

Pargon held the door and Heero led the way inside.

Duo couldn't help but admire the luxurious surroundings, never having seen anything like it before. Trowa was doing the same, but hid his awe better beneath a mask of ennui.

Pargon stopped them in a vastness of marble and gold leaf, and spoke to Trowa. "If you come with me for refreshments, sir?"

"I should be there to witness him returning something," Trowa replied. He looked to Duo. "That's what you want?"

"Change of heart. I think," Duo said with a meaningful wink, "I'll be okay. I don't think Heero here's gonna off me in the palace. This won't take me long. Hey, Pargon? Maybe you can show my buddy around a little?"

"We may tour the west wing, if you are interested, Sir?" Pargon asked Trowa, who nodded in reply.

"Just enjoy the sights," Duo said, driving home the point, hopefully. Lots of merchandise for the taking?

"Right," Trowa said with a shrug.

Duo watched as the man escorted his friend a few doors down, pointing out the period furniture. The crazy idea running rickshaw around his head. Trowa had a good eye for picking out surveillance devices and loved challenges. What bigger one would be lifting a few less traceable items from the palace? Something to mull over.

"All right! While they go for tea," Duo paused to turn and smile at Heero, "take me to your leader."

Heero almost smiled. Duo swore he saw a twitch of his lips before he clamped down with that scowl.

"The princess is waiting in the east wing."

Duo continued on with Heero for company past a door that opened into a gallery of art. Duo was no expert, but he suspected everything was authentic and worth what Duo estimated roughly in his head- and lost count of the zeroes after multiplying 23 x 100,000 plus 14 X 50,000- to be a whole lot.

Heero stood to the side and gestured for Duo to go first into a room so entirely decorated in pink that Duo felt an instant headache stab at his temples. "Oh, my God."

Heero bumped him, none too gently. "Princess Relena, may I present Duo Maxwell, the man who… recovered your bracelet. Duo, the princess." He whispered, "Bow, idiot," behind his hand to the near comatose young thief.

"I am pleased to meet you—"

Duo jumped to life, removing his cap and bowing low over her outstretched hand.

"Mr.—oh!"

Her greeting was cut off by a hollow "thunk" as a yard-long rope of braided hair hit the parquet and coiled like a snake at the young lady's feet.

When he "worked", Duo hid his trademark braid under a hat of some sort, otherwise he'd draw attention. Thieves or any criminals for that matter did not want to draw attention to themselves. He'd worn it wound beneath his cap all day and had forgotten all about it, until now.

"Um, sorry 'bout that, miss, er, Princess." His face was as pink as the room, pinker, if it were possible.

"Give her the bracelet," Heero instructed.

Out of the corner of his eyes, Duo watched as Heero examined his hair, traveling from ragged tip to the back of Duo's neck and around again for a return trip. Yeah, he liked it.

"Heero! Be polite!" She chided, but her tone wasn't in the least harsh and, in fact, seemed more teasing.

"Oh, yeah, sure." Duo's hand dove into his pants pocket and withdrew the sparkling treasure. "Here you go."

"Mr. Maxwell, I wish to thank you for your scrupulousness and for returning this so promptly."

The glittery bracelet passed from thief to princess without skin touching skin.

"It's the right thing to do," Duo mumbled, still hardly able to look at her face.

"It was a gift from my father, now deceased. A treasure I'll always cherish."

Sure, Duo thought, so you just accidently tossed it out of your car?

When Duo did gather the courage to look her in the eye, she was staring into Heero's. She was standing next to the handsome guard, cradling one of his larger hands in her slender ones.

"Well, ah, take good care of it," Duo said.

"I have…will. What would you wish for as a reward from me?" she asked.

Caught flat-footed by her direct question—he'd expected, maybe, a little cash bonus tucked covertly into his hand by Pargon on his way out the door- Duo gaped, speechless, while fiddling with the tip of his braid.

"He doesn't want anything," Heero told her. "He's going now."

"Oh, now, a young man like you must want something?" she said coyly.

Duo shifted uncomfortable with the thought that she might be flirting with him. "Ah, no, ma'am, er, princess." Then it occurred to him that he could make use of this wonderful opportunity. "Well, I can think of one thing?"

Heero moaned and turned away to hide his anger.

Thirty minutes later, Duo was skipping to keep up with Heero's determined stride. "C'mon, admit it! Giving me a palace tour wasn't so bad, was it? Good exercise, my brilliant repartee to keep things rolling-?"

Heero shook his head. "It could have been worse, yes."

"Is this the way out? I don't recall coming this way before. Man, I'd be lost here without you," Duo said, with a flirtatious smile. In actuality, he'd been mapping out the entire interior for study later. Add Trowa's findings to his and… who knows?

"What's this?" he asked just as he was pushed into a room the size of a large broom closet but with tidier appointments.

Heero's hard body pressed against his, backing him to a wall.

"Hey, I like you too, but-!"

"Will you just the fuck shut up?" Heero whispered through clenched teeth.

Duo nodded. He felt Heero's hand on his hip, feeling around, and closed his eyes. It wasn't how he'd imagined the moment to unfold- he had far more romantic scenarios drafted out- but he wanted the contact so much he dared not breathe. The hand brushed over the front of his pants and his erection pulsed expectantly.

Great. Just great.

The hand found what it had been searching for, and Duo felt an object drop into his pocket.

What was that? His eyes asked what his voice couldn't.

"I _don't_ want it," Heero rasped.

"How did you _get_ it? You some kind of a magician? You _would_ be, considering my luck. My best friend's a clown."

"She dumped it back on me while you were studying your feet."

"I was not - Oh, yeah, she was holding your hand. I thought that was cute. Heh, heh, so the princess is sweet on you?"

"Yes," Heero said, but it came out a growl.

"Just give it back and tell her she's not your type, or something."

"I have and she… won't accept it. It's improper for a member of her guard to accept…presents. I've told her that, but she won't-"

"Rough. Listen, I don't know what you expect me to do with this. _I_ can't do anything with it or I would have in the first place! I don't know what it is you think I do—"

"You don't know anyone?"

"I'll pretend you didn't mean to offend me," Duo said, putting a hard edge on his voice. "I know lots of folks. I'm a businessman."

"Cut the crap. You're a thief."

"Not at the moment," Duo grinned. "If anyone is, you are."

Heero's face transformed from confusion to shock to anger in moments. "How did you get this, this thing back to me?" he asked pulling the bracelet from his jacket pocket.

"You're not as observant as you think you are."

"I saw you stealing wallets in the crowd," Heero said.

He sounded exasperated, which was what Duo was going for. If the man was getting riled, he would stop thinking logically and do something impetuous—or so Duo reasoned.

"No you didn't, or you would have arrested me. You just _think_ you did." Duo was winning the argument and was enjoying it.

Duo felt Heero grab his hand and cram the jeweled piece into his palm.

"Can't you get someone to get this out of the city?"

"Like a fence?"

Heero winced. "Yes."

"No one in Sanc would touch hot rocks from the palace. They're not a bright bunch of slobs, but they ain't idiots."

Not to be discouraged, Heero suggested another idea. "Can't you get it out of the country?"

Okay, Duo just hadn't thought of that possibility. "Oh. Well. Mebbe. It makes me wonder, though, why a good-looking dude like you would turn away a cute, rich, titled chick like that? Just curious—mmph!"

Suddenly, the press of warmth was all over him. His thoughts had been roaming about, his concentration broken, or Heero wouldn't have been able to jump him like he did.

Hungry lips sought out his and arms that felt like steel bands crushed the air from his lungs. It was as near to Heaven as he figured he'd ever get so he just let the other man ravish what he could reach.

"Captain Yuy?" Pargon's muted voice could be heard. He was coming from a distance and, if he counted the footfalls correctly, he had Trowa with him.

"Damned locator," Heero growled as he thrust Duo away so hard he slammed his head into the wall.

"Ouch!"

"Shhh!" Heero commanded. He stared at the face of his phone, reading a message, possibly, and then returned it to his pocket. "Come on."

Duo rubbed the sore spot and stumbled out of the room. "You're sexy, all right, but you can use some work on your moves. I mean, I can take it a little rough, kinda hot, you know? But-."

"Shut the fuck up, will you?"

That's when Duo _knew_ he'd gotten under this guy's skin and hooked him good. So he grinned. "Okay, if you agree to a date."

"A…date?"

"Yeah, _mano y mano_. Dinner. You gotta card? A number where I can reach you?"

"No."

Duo shot a glance over his shoulder. There was no time to dawdle. "I got something."

He fumbled with his jacket, but managed to find a scrap of paper. He had to wait until Pargon and Trowa joined them to beg off a pen from the older man. They all stood and waited while Heero scribbled a number, folded the paper into quarters and stuffed it into Duo's hand.

"Well, it's been cool, guys. Thanks, Pargon, for being so classy about this. Rides? No, we can bus home, but thanks. See ya 'round, 'Ro."

And with that, Duo and Trowa left the palace.

But not for good.

"So, what's on your mind?" Trowa asked.

"I'm not sure where to go from here."

Trowa flashed him a quick smile. "I'm sure you'll think of something soon."

Of course he would, but Trowa's inflection inferred more than just the run of the mill off-hand comment. "Oh? Why's that?"

"Quatre called me the other day. Before I got into Sanc. He's zeroing in on something."

(o)

Duo was standing on the corner, waiting. He didn't often let himself be noticed that way. He stood out with his yard long braid and usually kept it concealed or loitered about in the shadows, but this time he had a feeling he'd be drawing attention any minute and didn't bother.

Five minutes later, the shiny, white limousine, or what passed for one on the in the kingdom of Sanc, with its size and gas-consumption limitations, eased into the curb and stopped. He opened the back door, slid in, and the car moved.

The young man seated inside greeted him a quick hug. "Duo! I hope you weren't waiting long."

"Ah, no. Just a coupla minutes, Quat." He peered into the rearview mirror and tipped his invisible cap at the driver. "Hey, Rashid. How goesit?"

"You find me well, thank you. How is the world treating you, Mr. Maxwell?"

"Same old, same old."

"I'm here to change all that." Quatre Winner had a smile that melted hearts wherever he went, but used it carefully. He wasn't a flirt. He had a man in mind whose heart was a mystery and yet it was his goal to conquer him, and it wasn't Duo Maxwell. "Well once you hear me out, your life will change for the better. Nothing will be the same again."

"Uh, huh. So you say. Well? Out with it then."

"As I told you over the vid-phone, I met a man at a meeting who introduced himself as a TV producer. He was very specialized, though. He made these reality shows."

"Never seen one."

"I haven't either, but I've heard about a few adventure series. In any case, he was working up new ideas. I tossed out a few, including the scrap yard."

"God, not that hell hole. No one wants to see what goes on there—I sure as hell don't!"

"Actually, he said there have been too many shows revolving about scrappers and all."

"No kidding? People watch that shit?"

"It's the people in the stories that audiences connect with, mostly."

"Huh." Duo was amused by this. "You know I left the scrap yard and I ain't going back for some show."

"Oh, yes, I know that. Here's where it gets interesting."

"Good, 'cause it's lulling me ta sleep now."

Quatre elbowed his good friend in the ribs. "Wake up! I only have a few minutes to tell you the rest."

"Go on, then." Duo stretched out in the comfortable seat and closed his eyes. "I'm listening."

"I don't know which one of us said it first, but we came up with the idea of a reality show tracking a theft—"

"Criminals doing a job?"

"A heist, in fact, I think that's the name he liked for it, _The Heist_. It would follow the lives of a jolly group of robbers from inception, through planning and carrying out the-"

"Job. It's called a job. I get it. That's crazy. Committing a felony on TV with thousands of viewers as witnesses?! Besides…"

"I know there are details to get worked out, but TK was certain it could be done once he ran it past 'legal', as he put it."

"Uh, huh. TK, 'initials only', sounds full of confidence. Who the fuck is he? You know, I don't trust a dude without a name."

"He's a famous producer of very successful shows, like—"

"Spare me. Gimme a moment."

The young business mogul gave his clever friend the moment he asked for. Reflection was a concept he grasped because he made decisions that effected multitudes. In fact, to give Duo a little more space he gazed out the darkened window.

"And I'd be the chief thief, putting it all together?"

"Well, it is what you do best."

Duo's eyes shifted suspiciously to end up in a low-intensity glare at his friend. "I killed with impunity. That was what I did best."

"In the war." Winner smiled and shrugged. "It really depends on your point of view. To me, your clever skills are breaking and entering and—"

Duo brushed off the compliments with a casual gesture. "Yeah, yeah. What do I steal?"

"That's for you to decide, I guess. He's leaving most of it up to you. Just say 'yes' and I'll give him your number for a contact. Meet him. Hear him out. Ask your questions."

"Just to get this straight- I get _paid _to steal? On TV?"

"You and anyone working with you. And you get expense accounts."

Rashid looked up into the rearview mirror, and the movement caught Duo's attention. The driver's focus remained for a second or two on the eyes of his younger comrade in arms, and frowned. His moustache twitched as his mouth opened to say something.

Quatre stopped him with a simple eye roll and pointed out the front window, which Duo interpreted as: Drive on. I know what I'm doing.

Before the others noticed, Duo pretended to have missed the drama while flipping through his little notebook and adding a note with his pen. Something was up for sure, but not letting them know that _he_ knew was probably a good thing for Duo.

All he said was, "It's something to consider, you got me there. Let me mull this about and get back to you."

"All right. Here's my stop coming up. Rashid will drop you wherever you'd like. Thanks for listening and I'll call you later," Quatre said as he hopped out of the car with his briefcase in front of the Inter-Colonial Assembly building. "Think about this!"

"I will! I said I would and I will. So long, Quat."


	2. You Can Take the Boy Out of the Country

Chapter Two- You Can Take the Boy Out of the Country, but…

* * *

"Where shall I take you, young man?" Rashid twisted the end of his bushy, black moustache and smiled. "I am at your disposal."

Duo chuckled. This was his lucky day. "I gotta make a call first. Can you just park for a bit?"

"Of course. The vid phone is there for your convenience."

"Yeah, thanks!"

The big man left the vehicle, locking it, and strode to a bench for a quiet smoke.

Duo punched in his friend's number and waited through several rings to see a pretty face fill the screen.

"Hello? Duo Maxwell? Calling me from a vidphone?"

"Hey, Catherine, how goes it? No emergency, heh, heh. Circus treating you right?"

"Sure, it's fine, but you're not wasting an expensive call to ask me that. You must want Trowa."

"I do—"

"He's on his way."

"Thanks. Nice seein' ya!" Duo called out.

Trowa's half-hidden face peered over her shoulder. "Present." He finger-combed the long bangs from his eyes and traded places with his sister. "So, what's Quat want?"

You covered in oil, tied to his bed, Duo wanted to reply. "Why don't you call him and ask?" All he could see was a brown blur of hair. "Don't turn off this call, Trowa!"

"Don't push."

"I don't get you." Duo meant it, too. Quatre seemed interested in getting to know his friend better. Trowa seemed excited whenever he and Quatre spoke. So what was the big deal? So what that Quatre was rich and important! They'd been close at one time during the war, hadn't they? Didn't that count?

"You don't have to. Just stay out of it."

"Okay, okay… wanna hear about my meeting?"

"I said so, didn't I?"

"We sat close in the back seat and he smelled like expensive cologne."

"Duo!"

Ooh and the green eyes were narrow slits. Gotcha, 'Tro.

"Heh, heh… All right, I'll skip that part. There's a producer wanting to do a show and thinks a robbery would make for good TV."

"Sounds stupid."

Duo agreed with his friend on that. "Yep, it's pretty crazy. I'm thinking though. I'll tell you 'bout my thinking, later."

"When you're ready. That all?"

"No. I, ah, gotta date with Heero, well, I've got to set it up yet, but he's interested."

"You mean with the guard? Be careful."

"I will. Keep my head out of the lion's gaping maw and all, right?"

"Careful what you say."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. I mean, I haven't done anything illegal he can nail me for."

"He might not care if nailing you is his objective."

Duo blushed slightly under the other man's gaze.

Trowa added, "Or he might be watching your every move, now that you've been inside the palace."

"I'm gonna call him now and suggest he meet me at the restaurant Hilde works at for dinner."

"You wouldn't have far to run and hide."

If things got dicey, Trowa meant. His tiny office and upstairs studio hovel was in back of the restaurant where his friend occasionally worked. His place was dark, dirty, and cramped. It was no love cave, but then the broom closet hadn't been a bed of roses either, so he decided if it came to that, and he hoped it might, Heero might not mind the accommodations. On second thought, Duo wasn't sure what he had lying about that could link him to some illegal activity, though.

"Yeah. I'm not taking him there, that's for sure. Not yet."

Trowa adjusted his position, looking over his shoulder, and then turned back. "If you want, you can bring him here, after. If, you know—"

"Hey, thanks, man! I don't think things will move along that fast, but, heh, heh, you never know. The guy's driven."

Trowa dipped his chin. "I gotta go."

Duo ended the call and smoothed the note Heero had given him, punching in the number as he deciphered the numbers. The vid phone signaled a cell phone connection, and the screen shut down.

"Who is this?" a voice growled over the com.

"Hey, Heero? Duo here!"

"Duo?" There was a moment of silence during which Duo wondered if the guy had forgotten who he was. "You are calling from a Winner Corporate Limousine."

"Yes. Yes, I am. Clever man, figuring that out!"

"Hn."

"I wanted to follow up on that date of ours."

"Today?"

"Tonight? Strike while the iron's hot and all!" Duo laughed. "Sure. That a problem?"

The line was quiet for a few clicks, and again Duo wondered if Heero was about to end the call.

"Meet me at the restaurant across from the embassy building in an hour. I have a break at that time."

A break. It didn't sound like there'd be much opportunity for love in Trowa's caravan.

"Okay. We'll go with that this time, but for the next date we go with my plans."

"Maybe," Heero said and signed off with an irritated click; at least, it seemed irritated to Duo.

He looked up at a polite rap at his window.

"Are you ready to move on?" Rashid asked.

"Yeah, guess so. I gotta date, but it's back where you dropped Quat."

"The Hilton?"

"The restaurant."

"I see." Rashid smoothed down the fly away ends of his mustache as he considered his next words. "May I make a recommendation?"

"Sure. Recommend away."

"A tie is required for seating and—"

"Oh, I get it. I could use a little sprucing up, eh?"

"I wouldn't want you to feel uncomfortable."

"That's real nice of you, 'Sheed."

"I could drive you to an…affordable men's store. One of my…affiliates owns it."

"Ooh, sounds interesting. Yeah, if it isn't far? I got less than an hour to meet him."

"No problem."

And it wasn't. Rashid parked at what appeared to be a fine men's store, but what turned out to be a re-sale store for the not-so-rich and famous. In no time, the help fitted Duo into a pair of good-fitting slacks, a natty sports coat, and a complementary shirt and tie. He even found a pair of shoes that gave him the polished appearance of success.

He was glad to have a kept a bundle of the cash he'd pinched earlier, but was pleased to discover the prices were a steal themselves and left him with plenty of money to pay for a reasonably priced meal. He hoped there were things on the menu of _that_ sort where he was going to meet Heero. But then, maybe Heero was planning on footing the bill? He didn't know if he should count on that, though.

"You look like a different man," Rashid greeted him with, holding open the car door.

"Thanks. That place is amazing."

"I'm gratified that you are pleased. And leave the package of your previous outfit in the back. I'll have it delivered to your home."

"I don't know what Quat pays you, but it's not enough. You can tell him I said that, too!"

Rashid laughed a loud, rumble from deep in his belly. "Maybe I will!"

Duo felt better than ever in his smart clothes. He crossed the street at the Hilton and walked past the door man, who tipped his cap, and took the elevator to the restaurant at the top of the hotel. No one questioned his right to be there and do that. No one.

"You look good…respectable." Heero in all his Elite Guard uniform glory stood at his elbow.

Duo sucked in his breath, holding back the vulgarity that nearly burst from his lips. "Ah, oh, hi. Um, thanks. I am, you know, respectable."

"Right," Heero muttered.

Heero and the maitre'd passed silent eye signals.

"Your table is ready, sir."

Duo shuffled his feet under the table, letting off some nervous energy. "You're a funny guy, 'Ro. You flatter me and insult me in about the same deadpan voice."

The young guard blushed and tried to hide his discomfort behind his menu. Duo chuckled and picked up his.

The first thing Duo noticed was what was missing. "This menu doesn't have prices."

"I'm paying. Order whatever you want."

"Oh." He'd thought it was his date. Guess not. Duo led a simple life. Bare bones. His diet, although varied, was simple. "I can't read this," he admitted.

"It is written in French. Would you like a beef stew and salad?"

"Sounds great. You mean there's something like that here buried under a disguise?"

The corner of Heero's mouth quirked up. "It's here. I'll have it, too."

After ordering, a basket of bread, warm and soft, and dish of butter, creamy and sweet, appeared. Water with ice and a floating sliver of lemon were set before them.

Duo didn't budge until Heero did, and he mimicked his actions, placing the napkin on his lap—cloth!—sipping the water and trying not to dribble any on his shirt, placing a glob of butter on a little side dish before slathering some on his bread.

"Mmm." His eyes closed and he savored the treat.

The main courses arrived, steaming and fragrant. Duo dove into his, while Heero concentrated on his stew with rigid intensity.

Duo tried small-talk, with little progress. Heero was not a conversationalist. So, after touching on the weather, the possible outcomes of the local sports match coming up, and the current fluctuations of the price of gold on the market, and getting nothing more than patronizing grunts in reply, he decided to take it to the personal level.

"Blue, two, and I simply don't know what to do next."

That got Heero's attention. "What?"

"My favorite color, my favorite number, and the truth about what's on my mind." I smiled encouragingly. "Your turn."

"I haven't any favorites." Heero rubbed his face with a hand. "I should have my head examined, but the only thing on my mind, besides doing my job, is you."

Delightful! Duo let the grin overtake his face. "Wow."

Frankly, what had elicited his exclamation of pure pleasure was the dessert cart which had rolled to a stop by their table, but it had made Heero blush, so it was all good.

While contentedly wallowing through the lemon fluff dessert and coffee, Duo looked over the room with a practiced eye. If it weren't for the present company, he could have made a mint lifting trinkets and wallets. If it weren't for Heero, though, he wouldn't have been seated, probably.

Heero signaled for the check.

"What's the rush?" Duo asked.

"I have guard duty in ten minutes."

Ten-?! You'd better run then."

"Relena… the princess is at the Inter-Colonial Assembly building across the street. And I'm just a backup."

"Oh, so Princess Relena is at the same conference that Quat's attending? Man, I'd love to be a fly on a wall in that room!"

Heero finished signing the credits over and stood. "Cat? For Quatre? Quatre Winner of the corporation of the same name?"

"One and the same. Thick as thieves we are, heh, heh… just a saying, you know?" A hand like a steel band around his arm halted his progress to the elevator. "You're wrinkling the dry goods."

"I'd like to know how a person like…" Heero hesitated, obviously to avoid insulting him, which he would have had he tagged on the missing "you". "How you are on a first name basis with him and ride in his car."

_A person like me? A street crook?_ Duo appeared unaffected, but he'd heard the little slip. Heero would pay. "Well, I do not put out on a first date, so for information like that we gotta be better acquainted."

That won him a surprised look and then Heero asked, "When can I see you again?"

Duo so loved beginnings when he could feel the sinking of his hooks and reeling in of a man, and his smile broadened. Nothing had ever lasted much longer after that, so he'd learned to relish the sweet taste of triumph. "Tonight?"

Heero pressed the "down" button and shook his head. "I can't."

"I'm still not seeing the love," Duo muttered.

Heero jerked at his jacket lapel, flashing the Elite Royal Guard emblem.

Duo's face lit with understanding. "Oh, duty calls and all. I get it. Tomorrow?"

"That will work." Heero's eyes remained glued to the indicator light. "It's my day off."

"And I get to pick where we meet this time," Duo appeared to contemplate his choices.

The elevator opened and Heero stepped in, holding the door for the other man. "All right."

Duo's speculative looked turned mischievous. "How 'bout something fun? You ever been to the circus?"

(o)

They met as planned at the bar across from the street corner where they'd first encountered one another. Duo was already holding down a bar seat, sipping at a beer.

Heero marched in, picked up the glass, and swallowed the entire drink in a couple gulps.

"Hey!" Duo's mouth slammed shut at the sight of the slight smile on the tired, but handsome face. "Thirsty, huh? You're late."

"I was called in this morning unnecessarily," Heero said, cutting off Duo, who was about to argue the relative merits of following orders, when the off-duty guard ground his teeth. "My. Day. Off."

"Ah, just you, huh? She's really into you, you know."

Heero shot him a poisonous look and wiped at the ring of water on the bar surface. "I know." The alcohol must have cut in because the tension rushed out suddenly. "You are right. It is senseless to remain in her employment. I should quit."

"That would solve the one problem, but I bet the job pays good, huh?"

Heero nodded and tapped on the bar as the tender raised an eyebrow. "Make that two."

They watched in silence as the barkeep filled fresh glasses with the golden brew. The empty glass was whisked away and a fresh beer appeared in front of both men.

"Thanks," Duo said.

"The pay is satisfactory, but not enough if all the problems she anticipates come true. Actually, it was your _friend_ Winner who informed her of the new Alliance problem.

The emphasis was not lost on Duo. He guessed that his friendship with an influential man like Quatre galled him somehow. "Winner? Oh, yeah, I called you from Quat's limo when he was at a conference. _That_ conference. So what's the self-righteous, New Alliance Order done this time, if it's not too Top Secret or anything?"

He caught Heero staring at him with an odd look. "Be careful what you say about the N.A.O." He scanned the room for listeners.

"No one is listening to us, relax."

"I might _relax_ if I knew how Winner comes to be a friend of yours, first."

"That's a long story best told by a roaring fire and-"

"Not here, you mean?" Heero interrupted. "Are we going to the circus?"

"Not _exactly_, as in, not to _see_ the actual acts. There is no show right now. They're on hiatus, resting for a few weeks, but I got friends there and we could, you know, walk around and stuff."

"All right." Heero tossed back the rest of his drink and stood. "I remember that friend you brought along to the palace worked there."

"Trowa, yeah. Hey, sit down. We have time for a bite to eat first."

"All right."

Duo ordered meat pies and soup du jour for two. "C'mon, grab that table in the corner."

They settled in with fresh beers.

Duo prompted him. "Her Majesty, Mr. Winner, and their Alliance problem?"

Heero drummed on the table and scanned the room, possibly for anyone who might be listening in. Everyone appeared to be wholly cosseted in their own little conversational confines. He didn't seem satisfied, though, and shook his head, then grimaced.

"Things spinning?"

Heero gave a curt nod.

"Food will help that. I can't drink that much that fast without paying some price." Duo watched the other man's face for a hint of smile and decided to add a bit of reassurance for good measure. "This is actually as private a place to talk as any. Okay, as proof, I'll give you the short account of how Q.R. Winner became my friend." And leave out all the incriminating details.

"In a moment." Heero watched the waiter balance two bowls of soup as he made his way to their table.

"Meat pies are on their way," the man said as he set down the soup and spoons.

"It's really simple. We met during the war, lent him a hand, so to speak, became buds, and he still keeps in touch and I still keep him real. That's it."

The pies were delivered.

"I believe you, but I think there's more to it that you haven't told me." He tasted the pie and smiled. "This is good."

"I like it." Duo slurped at more soup.

"I will come here to eat more often."

Duo looked up. "Hope it's with me," he said then winked.

"That would be…nice." Heero finished off his meat pie. "Really, it is better than the rich fare over at the palace cafeteria, which is in another building you didn't see."

"Naturally it is." Duo huffed, tiring fast of the smaller than small talk, and set down his spoon. "Listen. How you interpret things all depends on what side of the war you were on, and you being what you are—"

"-What I _do_," Heero corrected him.

"What you _do_, sure. And me being who I am, doing what I _do_, just might place us, historically speaking, on opposite sides, so I don't want to incriminate myself with particulars, _capish_?"

He felt Heero study his face a moment, before saying, "I need to think about this. Let's eat and go see this circus of yours."

They took the bus to the outskirts of the city. Duo wondered if his attraction to the guard could overcome the possible danger. Sanc military police were still ferretting out terrorists and enemies from the war. And even though his colony ties had long been severed, this man could bring him no end of grief while digging into his past. And if word got out that Duo "Fingers" Maxwell was under investigation, no one of his connections, not a fence or stooge, would have another thing to do with him. His business would go belly up bust!

Just as he had worked himself up to call off the rest of the day and evening possibilities, the bus pulled over and stopped.

"That's it?" Heero asked, pointing out the striped tents in the distance. His intense expression evaporated, and replacing it was one of rapture. Heero looked like a boy getting his first bike, gun, and dog—all at the same time.

"Yeah." Duo gave up. Decision made. Vacillation over. He wanted to be the one to bring that look to his face. He'd take his chances.

The pleasant day worked its magic. A short walk along a gravel road, in the sunshine with spring exploding in birdsong and blossoming trees, worked like a balm, easing the stress of the city left behind.

"Bet if you had that fancy-ass gun of yours you could pop that squirrel." Duo squinted up into the trees.

"I could. Both of them. I didn't bring a weapon today."

"No? Well, I feel honored, I guess." Duo picked up a rock and measured the weight in his hand with a couple tosses. "That you trust me that much."

"I can kill you several ways with my bare hands," Heero said, "if it came to defending myself." He gave Duo a kind of sneery half smile. "I don't need a gun to do that."

"Oh, well, I do pretty good myself." Duo spun around. His right arm whipped out and rocketed the rock upwards. He could hear it rip past the fresh new leaves and knock into a limb, sending two squirrels chattering deeper into the tree. The rock came to rest at the base of the tree.

"You missed," Heero said.

"No, I hit my target, which was the branch between the two squirrels. Fuck, you don't think I'd wanna kill a cute little fur ball if I wasn't gonna eat it, do you?"

Duo laughed at the guard's funny face, and Heero sobered instantly. "Good shot."

"Thanks."

The circus village spread the grounds in an anthill of activity. Huge canvass tarps lay unrolled, their brightly colored stripes billowing in the breezes.

Duo waved at a cluster of men and women, and they waved back with jolly "hellos."

"They're checking the tents for mouse damage and repairing the holes," he explained. "Last year I got roped into helping." He snickered a little. "Actually they had to tie me to a pole to keep me from running away! Bor-ring!"

Folks they passed greeted Duo warmly, like an old friend. Heero, they scrutinized.

"Hey, Maxie! Stop by the caravan tonight for some dancing!"

"Thanks!" Duo replied, but he didn't commit to anything.

"Suspicious people," Heero concluded.

"Wary of strangers," Duo corrected him. He leaned into Heero until their shoulders touched. "I'll protect you."

Had Heero leaned into him just a little before pulling away?

Duo received more invitations as they passed by the busy circus people.

"What are they doing?" Heero pointed out a cluster of men and women messing with ropes and pulleys.

"More of the same: testing the aerial gear. Over there where you see the smoke is the canteen."

"I smell…livestock," Heero said with a sniff.

"Straight ahead."

"I recognize him," Heero said, eyes glued to the lean figure of Trowa. "He's the man you brought to the palace."

Conveniently forgetting him name, are you? "To watch my back, yeah. That's him, Trowa. I wasn't sure if I was walking into a trap or not and so he came along."

"He's a _close_ friend?"

Duo could sense what he interpreted to be a twinge of jealousy in Heero's tone and liked it. "Yeah, more as of late. We were mostly, let's say, competitors in the past. We'd had our differences, but he's my go-to guy for a job that…" He paused, feeling embarrassed for having let down his guard a little too much. Heero had a way of making him feel safe that could become very, very dangerous for him. "Um, for a job that requires the services of a circus," he said artfully.

(o)

Duo's clever ways to turn a phrase didn't fool Heero. He knew Duo worked the wrong side of the law and gave him a hard stare for attempting subterfuge with him. "I'll bet."

The other man he had to keep his eyes on was the circus performer, Duo's _friend_, an accomplice in crime, a lover? He wasn't sure, but the man was handsome, built, and tense.

Trowa straightened and pushed the long bangs to one side of his face as they neared. "'Lo."

"Hey, buddy! You remember 'Ro here from the palace?"

"Sure I do." The taller man presented a calloused hand for Heero to shake. "Call me Barton."

Heero returned an iron grip with a steely one. "Yuy." They would be on even ground, but it was not yet welcoming.

"Duo, run and tell Catherine I'll be a little late."

Meaning: Leave me alone with this guy for just a few minutes so I can test him, or kill him and bury the body.

Duo shook his head, but then Trowa smiled, a small, tight grimace. "Please? I don't want her worrying."

"Oh, sure." Duo touched Heero's arm. "I'll be right back."

Heero watched him until the braid twitched out of view, all the while thinking of something to say to the tall, quiet man with the bucket and rag over an arm.

"So, when's your summer season starting?" he asked, thinking this was as good a place to start as any.

"A few weeks." Trowa lowered the bucket to the ground, freeing his hands. For an attack? A large number of flies took an interest in the pail's contents. "What are you doing here?" Trowa asked the instant Duo was out of hearing range, and he had pitched his voice so that the greeting sounded extremely inhospitable.

Heero went on full alert. Uncomfortable as he was, he did his best to sound genial and not trigger this other man's temper. He wasn't gifted in those regards, but he tried. He was a guest here by Duo's invitation. More importantly, he was an elite guardsman and should behave appropriately and not be lured into a fight. "Duo invited me. We are getting to know one another."

"What do you want from him?" Trowa asked bluntly.

Now that was a loaded question, Heero thought. He decided to express his limits. "That's none of your business."

"Wrong answer. You get three."

Heero rose to the pissing contest. "Three? That many? And then what?"

Trowa smirked. "No one investigates the circus. We bring clean, wholesome fun." He made a show of leaning over and reaching into a pail of what appeared to be chunks of red meat on ice. "People come and go, some disappear." He straightened and tossed the bloody mass into one of the big-cat cages. "We don't keep records. Lots of poor memories here too, if you get my drift?" He wiped his hands on a soiled rag and glared.

Threats Heero understood. He'd entered into hazardous territory provoking this man, and he really hadn't come to this place with Duo to start a fight. So, he tried to shake off the aggressive stance and back down.

"Duo's attractive, as I'm sure you have noticed, and I like him. He invited me here to get away from the obligations of the city."

That elicited a barked laugh from the circus performer. "Obligations? He's a thief and you know it. He's a good one, the best, probably, but no matter how clever he is, someday he'll fuck up and you'll be there to put him away for good. You know that. I know that. He knows it, too, but he's too… fucking stupid to pass up—"

"Pass up what? Me?"

"An opportunity. Just leave it at that, okay? In fact, why don't you just get back on the next bus and leave? Leave him be."

"That would hurt his feelings. You care about his feelings, right?" Heero tested that theory, too.

"Digging for dirt?" Trowa flashed a bit of canine with his uneasy smile. "I do care, yeah, but not in the way you are probably thinking, but that's okay 'cause it doesn't matter. A little pain happens for the best if it saves you from a bigger, nastier one later."

Heero cast a glance over his shoulder and spied Duo jogging back to them. He'd probably seen the standoff and regretted having left the two of them alone.

"And you think _I'm_ out to hurt him?" Heero asked, hoping to end the confrontation before Duo arrived. "You outted him. I had no proof that he was doing anything illegal. We just met."

Trowa looked a bit sheepish as Duo skidded into their huddle, breathing heavily. "Cath's cool with it." _Wheeze_… "Now, what kind of trouble are you guys getting into already?" he asked.

Heero felt Trowa's heated one-eyed glare slip away to scan Duo and then return to examine him with deadly intent.

"I'll bet he's already set you up to take the fall for something," Trowa said.

"You lie!" Heero growled, his patience evaporating in the heated exchange.

Duo appeared confused. "Wha-?" He cut off mid-word and jammed his hands in his pockets. His eyes widened and he passed into thoughtful silence.

"Duo?" Heero's questioning tone only seemed to further confuse him.

"I, ah, just that thing, you know, from the other day? I still have it," Duo muttered.

The thing? What thing? Oh, no. The bracelet? Did Duo still have that? He had completely forgotten having given it to him.

Then it dawned on him what Trowa was implying! Damn it all!

Duo's brow drew down into a frown.

Heero could visualize Duo's gears churning and it was obvious that he'd come to the same conclusion. It really could appear that Heero had set him up! Duo had the valuable bracelet- he'd had ample opportunity to steal it back after giving the illusion of having returned it—and now Heero could arrest him for stealing it!

Oh, God, it all added up!

Why hadn't Duo gotten rid of the damned thing?!

Trowa's visible eyebrow shot up. "He did, didn't he?! Fuck it, Duo! He's probably got detectives crawling all over your apartment looking for… What was it?"

He grabbed the shorter man's shirt and pulled Heero to within inches of his face. "What did you give him?"

Heero was an inch or two shorter, but he had remarkable strength. He knocked the arms away and pushed Trowa aside so that he could step close to Duo. "I am not setting you up!"

"The hell—!"

"Shut up!" he barked at Trowa then swung back to speak directly to Duo. "It was not my intention to get you into trouble, when I gave that… thing… to you. I truly meant for you to just bury it or something."

"You could have done that yourself!" Duo said.

Heero groaned. Obviously, Duo is no idiot; you are! "No, I couldn't or I would have. I wasn't thinking straight, actually. I shouldn't have pressured you to do something potentially wrong. I'm sorry. Here, give it back. I'll take complete responsibility for it from here on out."

"You have it _on_ you?!" Trowa was apparently not liking anything he had heard.

"At the time, he just asked me to dispose of a gift," Duo said in a contemplative voice. "I never thought he'd use it to arrest me. But—"

"That's because you were thinking with your dick and not your head," Trowa muttered. "Jesus, Duo…"

Heero was more concerned with re-gaining Duo's trust. Although he hadn't known him for more than a few days, having Duo's respect and affection suddenly meant everything to him. And Duo looked so miserable.

He wanted to get away from Trowa's scrutiny and it was in his combative nature to thin out his opponents, preferably to one-on-one confrontations. He visually swept the area and observed people scattered everywhere. "Can we talk alone?" he said to Duo. "Somewhere private?"

"Let's take a walk," Duo told him. "I'd rather walk and talk."

"It's a mistake." Trowa moved to block his way.

"Hold that thought," Duo said. "You and I will talk later."

"But-!"

Duo wound an arm affectionately around Trowa's shoulders, pulling him close in a one-armed hug. "You watched my back and I'm grateful for that. I need to see if there's anything left to save here, okay? I'll be all right."

"Sure." Trowa moved off to the side. As Heero passed he warned him in a menacing, low voice, "I'm still here. I'll always be here."

He slowed to get in the last word with Trowa then reconsidered; the circus man could just as soon throw him to the lions as let him walk out of there unscathed. Leave well enough alone. Let sleeping lions sleep. All the stupid adages that popped into his head recommended he avoid further conflict, and since he didn't want a fight with Duo's best friend, he sped up and trotted after Duo, who seemed in a hurry.

"Duo!" When he caught up the first thing he wanted to do was set things straight.

"That's my name."

"It never even occurred to me to set you up. Dumping that bracelet on you was stupid I can see that. I didn't want to get into trouble if I was caught with it. And I couldn't think of what else to do. There's no place to hide it at the palace. I panicked. No, no that. It's… ever since we met, I haven't been thinking straight. Not entirely. Listen to me! I'm rambling like an idiot!"

Duo headed for a table and bench under a tree near the edge of the grass angling toward a small lake. He planted himself on the table with his feet on the seat and patted a spot next to him.

So much for the walking part. Heero took this as a good sign and hoped for the chance to talk. "I mean it," he said, hoping to impress upon Duo the importance of this point.

"I believe you and here's why. First, I want to. And second, I'd like to think you were better than that. I mean, it's a lame way to catch a thief- and I'm not saying I am one, mind you- setting a trap like that and even if you were that unimaginative, it would be stupid to give it to me like that where I had time to dump it back on you or in a vase or something. I could have handed it over to Pargon and said 'No thanks, Jack!' and gotten you into trouble, possibly."

Heero groaned, eye closed, head back. "It was a stupid thing to do in any case. It just made me so mad when she gave it to me again."

"Yeah, well, water under the bridge and all," Duo brushed the breeze-swept hair out of his eyes. "So, what's the sudden need for privacy, or was that just a ploy to grab my attention?"

Heero caught his smile and returned one of his own. "I'll have to remember that trick."

"I know a few other fun tricks—"

"—which I'd like you to show me."

"But," Duo held up a hand, "before we get completely off track and forget, you were going to tell me something important about that meeting?"

"Oh, yes. There was something… I… you should know about what I overheard at the conference."

He figured that if Duo was a friend of Quatre Winner's it was information he could be trusted with, and if Heero was wrong to trust the little thief then he'd only given away information he'd learn from Winner eventually anyway. He hadn't been told it was top secret information, after all.

"I'm listening." Duo grew still and lost his amiable smile.

"Both Pricess Relena and Quatre discussed rumors that the New Alliance is taking over Sanc palace property."

"They've ripped-off folks in the shipping industry for years, so what's new?" Duo said.

"I mean things like the valuable art collection, which I'm sure you noticed?"

"Couldn't miss it!"

"Also, the crown jewels and cash reserves are all in jeopardy."

"Raping the country as some sort of spread-the-wealth lie?" Duo asked.

"They think so. Princess Relena is afraid for her heritage and the Sanc Kingdom property being lost or used for paying off the war debts of Romfeller."

Duo probably wasn't sympathetic with royals, Heero supposed, but he hoped he might be concerned for the kingdom.

Duo shrugged a shoulder. "Eh! They probably stole it all from the colonies, and being a colony boy I wouldn't be sad to see the monarchy fall. But I'm no fan of this _All_-_New- and-Improved_ Alliance. Too many familiar faces there from the old one."

Heero watched as Duo's mouth snapped shut, lips pressed into a thin line, and eyes widened to a remarkable size. Duo has beautiful eyes, he thought before he could stop it. Heero recognized a flustered response when he saw one. He hypothesized that Duo had revealed a bit more of his past and about his politics than he probably had wanted to, and so he pretended he hadn't noticed and wondered what Duo would do next.

"Scary faces."

He kept his eyes on Duo. Would he run off? He reached over and touched the other man's arm. "I want to understand you."

Heero wasn't sure if Duo had heard him or not. Duo didn't answer his unasked question, if he'd let him help him, but the young thief shook off his haunted expression. "You know that takes me back?"

"No," Heero said. This had to be good; it was certainly entertaining him. He sat back, elbows on the table and waited to watch Duo's evasive moves.

"You see, I'd made this really scary Halloween decoration. The scariest Halloween decoration E-V-E-R, cuz it almost burned down my house. Well, that's being dramatic, but it did try. I was inspired from a party at Quat's and a circus show, you see, so I painted a cool, thorny branch white, then cut-out paper bats and tied them onto the branch. It looked great... but I wanted to take it one step farther... think: death & destruction…"

He tried not to let his smile become a smirk. "What has Halloween got to do with the Alliance?" Heero asked, reasonably. He read body language well, and what Duo's body was signaling, besides "I'm sexy", was that in the future, when Duo was in a tight spot he might attempt to cover-up for his mistake with some well-meaning bullshit story.

"I-I-I was getting to that. Um, how an attack on your place is like, um…" Duo mumbled into silence.

Heero lifted a hand to smooth into place some of Duo's loose hair. "Is like…what?"

And he shivered under Heero's touch.

"I have no idea where I was taking that."

Heero smiled at the rush of blood coloring the other man's face, amused to know that Duo must be readily distracted by intimate contact—useful information for future application? "If you say so. Anyway, my lips are sealed."

"Are they?" Duo's eyes rapidly examined Heero's mouth before giving him a direct look.

Heero gave him very self-satisfied smile and scooted closer.

Close enough that it sent his heart to pounding, speaking of anticipation. He wanted to get on to the contact part of the relationship, and moved his hand around the back of Duo's head to find that braid. Just as he had a secure grip on it, Duo starting talking again.

"Um, just to clear up one last nagging detail."

"What's that?" Heero whispered into the ear he was about to caress.

"Relena, she likes you, really likes you."

"It's unfortunate that I am unable to return her feelings." He outlined the ear with a crooked, wet swipe of tongue.

"Oh..." Duo slipped his words past a sudden intake of air, "l-lucky for me."

This would be less of an attack than the first time in the palace closet.

"I'd say so," Heero whispered. He turned slightly and pressed his lips to Duo's.

This time, Heero wrapped him securely before gently pushing his back to the weather-worn table. He continued to trail kisses from his lips downward along his jaw. Sucking and biting left red marks on the pale neck and elicited the most amazing sounds. Heero took it to mean more. His fingers nimbly loosened buttons on Duo's shirt, exposing more skin for the intense attention of teeth, lips, and tongue.

Just as things were about to become interesting, he felt a hard nudge on his shoulder and Duo's non-verbalizations coalesced into words.

"Can't you hear them? Heero! Stop! Kids are coming!"

Heero bolted up. "Kids?"

And there in the distance came rag-tag cluster of children from the circus clutching baskets and blankets. Behind him, Heero also heard a splash of something hitting the water.

"Picnicking here, I'd guess." Duo finished off his buttons and hopped to the ground.

"I guess." Rings radiated out from the surface of the pond, as if something had fallen in. Or… "Did you throw something into the lake?" he asked.

"Maybe." Duo beamed with the smile of a mischievous imp, and Heero shivered. "Pockets fill up with the craziest things."

The smile widened and went a bit crooked, and Heero knew it had been the bracelet going for a swim. He noted the location, just in case he might in the future have the need to retrieve it, and hoped to God that it wouldn't, and smiled back.

And then Duo grinned wide and reached out for his hand. It was time to be getting back to the city anyway, they agreed.

He loved that smile and wanted to see it all the time. He made a mental note to secure a private room with a locking door for his next meeting with the thief who'd stolen his heart.


	3. 44 Tons and Deeper in Debt

Chapter Three - 44 Tons and Deeper in Debt

* * *

Duo and Heero parted, with mutual foot-dragging, at the downtown bus stop. Heero had work to think about, and Duo had Quatre's TV guy still simmering on the back of the stove.

"I wonder if there isn't something to it?" Duo wondered.

He decided it couldn't hurt to call the man, this "TK", and make an appointment to talk. Funny thing, the TV man had a time slot open right then, was in the area, could pick him up, have a little coffee? Yes, it seemed too easy, but then Duo hadn't worked with the Hollywood types before.

Maybe everything was easy with them? They certainly had money to sling around!

A recent-model Mercedes. Duo waited for the windows to glide down before leaning over. "Hi. I'm Duo Maxwell."

"TK" gestured for him to get in. He did and they roared off into the traffic. Duo had a few moments to study the TV man and liked what he saw because it lived up to all his expectations of what success in the entertainment industry should look like: handsome man, mid-thirties, a wave of butterscotch-colored hair over a tanned face, perfectly straight, white teeth.

"Treize Khushrenada. Nice to meet you, son."

Over a light meal and drinks, Duo's questions to Mr. Khushrenada were simple. He put them out there straight off to test if the guy was on the level.

"Basically," Duo said, raising one finger in the air to start his count off, "I have a few concerns."

"Of course you do! Ask away!"

"First, how to remain out of jail; second, what do I rob; and third, how much do I get?" He cleared his throat. "And I'll think of more depending on the answers to those."

TV guy assured him with a smile and a large gesture, "I can see that you would need to consider those things, since the job puts you on, what might appear to those uninformed folks on the outside as, the wrong side of the law."

"Yeah, my thoughts exactly." Duo smiled. At least the man was no fool and not treating him as one either.

"So don't worry. Legal will work it out; they are responsible to work out details like that. Say you need a high speed chase, they see to the roads being cleared and the police being informed."

"Oh," Duo said, impressed. He'd like to have a "legal" who could take care of the sticky details like that for all his jobs.

"As to pay," Mr. Treize Khushrenada went on, "Standard 20 grand per person up to three, plus a daily budget."

Duo held his breath stopping himself from bursting into song or something equally stupid that would give away how incredibly okay he was with the generous deal. He had to dicker or the man would feel cheated. "Five. Five guys. I'm thinking something big."

"Big? Big is very, very good. The bigger the better." Mr. Treize Khushrenada tapped in some numbers on the tablet, frowned, tapped again, and then smiled. "Five, but no more."

"Okay, and how negotiable's the budget?"

"There are limits, of course, but once you get a plan in place, you can firm up those numbers with the accounting office."

"Okay, 'cept that leaves the _what_, doesn't it?"

"I was leaving that up to you, but be imaginative and think large, _palatial_ even. Here's the card with the numbers you'll need: accounting and legal. You contact legal after you've chosen the where and cleared the general idea with me. Send accounting your estimates and they'll set you up with accounts from which you'll make withdrawals."

"Ah…" Duo took the card and stared at it, the enormity of the problem dancing at the fringes of his consciousness. "And the _when_?"

"Very soon," Mr. Khushrenada said, looking at his watch as if the heist should begin at a moment's notice.

They agreed to meet again with a timetable and parted with a handshake deal.

(o)

Pilfering the Palace would be big and take a lot of imagination to get away with, legal department or not. Duo's first notion was to contact Trowa and bring him in as a firm partner. This was too big for just him to handle. He needed to bounce ideas off someone, and Trowa must have learned some useful things from his trip to the palace.

No, it was clear. Trowa wasn't the least trustworthy crook he knew. There was the potential for enough wealth to buy his loyalty, if need be.

Trowa picked up on the fourth ring, and listened quietly for Duo to explain the deal.

"Ever since our visit to the palace-" Duo began.

Trowa smiled. "I thought that opportunity was just too sick to not find a way to take advantage of it."

"Yeah, so many possibilities."

"I like that aspect," Trowa said.

"Me, too. Plenty of maneuvering space," Duo remarked. He felt good vibes coming from his friend.

"I think we ought to do something on the side while doing the TV job. To make sure we get our cut."

Duo chuckled at that. "So you're not feeling the trust in their legal department either?"

"Trust no one. From what I saw, there were camera and motion detectors everywhere. It won't be easy, but I might be able to get a jamming device to help. The guards are a problem. The TV job must have a backdoor out in case things go…wrong."

"An _out_, yeah. What kind of side thing are you thinking about?"

Trowa's voice was low, soft like a sip of cream. "Like helping the kingdom of Sanc."

Duo wondered where he'd come up with an idea like that? He didn't sound like the familiar soldier of fortune he'd known and loved. "How come you're all gung ho for the kingdom all of a sudden?"

"I was talking to Quat."

Oh, well that explained everything, Duo thought. He might also be able to confirm the information Heero had passed on about the Alliance wanting to get their hands on the kingdom's wealth.

"Oh, he's back to slumming in at the circus?" Duo teased, but he didn't want to push too hard and hurt his friend's feelings. "Sorry, you told him you were back in town, then?"

"No."

"Tro', he's dying to see you."

"Not yet."

"I know you got plans to make it big and have something to offer him, but let's face it, how long can a guy like him wait?"

"Maybe this job will help," Trowa said. "I could get a reward for serving the kingdom."

"Depends on what the service is. You know what I say: reward yourself; no one else will, if you catch my meaning?"

Trowa murmured agreement.

"So, you and him? Pretty good?" Duo asked.

Trowa sighed. "You're not going to let up until I say something, are you?"

"I want to hear a progress report."

"Not getting that, but, okay, well, then, yeah, we're talking, but that's good. So, back to what you were saying, Quat mentioned using his securities division to help move and safeguard Sanc Kingdom holdings. He doesn't trust that crazy Une woman after hearing her rant at the conference about war debt payments."

"Payments? Ha! You and I both know it's to fund her henchmen."

"Preventer's. Yeah, I don't like the idea of her faction getting their hands on anyone's money," Trowa declared.

"I'm with you on that. Okay, let's think of some way to get the paper loot to your boyfriend so you can look gallant-"

"He's not my-!"

"Not _yet_."

Trowa changed the subject. "So you and I are thinking 'palace'. Did that TV guy have a place in mind for the burglary?"

And being the good friend that he was, Duo allowed him to transition smoothly without pause. "He's leaving that up to me," he said with a touch of pride.

"He is?" Trowa asked. "Not sure if I like that. He's got no reason to trust you so much."

"He's got Quatre's word for it, is my guess," Duo said, a bit irked at Trowa's hesitancy.

"That's true. Forgot that. Okay, so, what's the next step?"

"I'm not exactly sure what to go for. There's the art. And I got the perfect cover and fence for that."

Trowa said nothing, thinking, running over the names in his head until one resurfaced with annoying repetition. "Chang? You'd trust him not to just turn you over for the reward?"

"Funny you should suggest that…" Duo wasn't so sure _Trowa_ wouldn't turn him in for the right amount, but Chang had a fervent sense of honor that could be used to control him. "I'd haveta work the angle on that one that suits him."

"He's pretty set on helping his old colony."

"Possible angle. Thanks. All right, and then there's paper worth gazillions for stock bonds and getting that out, well, Quat could front that."

"He'd do that, I'm pretty sure. He's got the means."

"And that's not all!" Duo chuckled. "I heard about the bullion and cash just lying about, and there's the crown jewels—"

"That's heavy and a challenge to move," Trowa said mostly to himself. "But I like the prospect of getting my hands on a load of cold hard cash. You have any idea how much there is?"

"No, not exact quantities. I need that information, but it all needs to be saved from the clutches of the Alliance goons."

"The New Alliance," Trowa ground out, "a resurrected configuration of the previous Old Alliance clusterfuck."

"Poison masquerading as candy." Duo knew Trowa was just waiting for a chance to get even with that organization's leader, a nasty piece of work called Lady Une.

Trowa looked thoughtful. "If Une and the rest of her cronies are counting on the palace wealth to get them out of financial debt, we might consider getting the royals in on our bogus burglary."

Duo shook his head. "I don't think so. I got enough of a problem keeping this from Heero."

Trowa raised his visible eyebrow. "Heero? You're still going to see him?"

Duo blushed and looked away. "Yeah, well. I kinda like him."

"Fuck, Duo, I warned you. A member of the Sanc Royal Family Elite Guard? I may be a dreamer lusting after the heir to the Winner fortune, but you, Duo, you are certifiable."

Letting out his breath to muss his bangs relieved some of Duo's stress. "That I am. But he's good people."

"How do you figure that?"

"I think he was a freedom fighter like us once." Or held out hope that he was.

That surprised the circus acrobat. "Oh, yeah? Seems unlikely, but you being blinded by lust—less so."

"Well, I trust _you._ So I'm asking you to trust him," Duo said.

"I'll try to keep my distance, but that's all I'm promising. Oh, I'm **in**, by the way. Thanks for asking."

"Of course you are."

"Let me know the _when_ part of this plan, so we can work out the _how_."

"Will do."

Oddly, as good as it felt having Trowa on board, Duo needed another kind of reassurance. What he was considering was so huge, and talking with his friend had both built up and then shaken up his self-confidence. He had doubts that he could plan it all, carry out something so big and so involved.

And his heart wanted a signal of sorts.

Maybe he should take Heero into his confidence and include him? But then that could put Heero in a difficult position. Worse, if it turned out that all his foolish hopes for Heero being "one of them" were unfounded, and he'd blown this very, very lucrative job, and messed up whatever possible future he and Heero might have together, then he'd be up shit creek for sure. It was an issue worthy of further consideration before taking any rash action.

Duo couldn't help himself from doing something, and he called Heero next. When the guard didn't pick up, Duo wasn't sure whether or not to feel relieved.

But when he got a message a few minutes later informing him, "Working. Call tomorrow AM," Duo felt a shift inside, a lift of his spirits, a fluttering excitement.

He was falling for the man at the most spectacularly worst time. He needed all his faculties in top-notch condition, full working order, to pull off the heist of the century. Falling in love could be the biggest glitch ever.

He sat back and put up his feet with a noisy sigh, glad he had to wait now, cogitate a little. Trowa had a point when he criticized his conduct of late.

"Get it together, Maxwell, and get your head outta his pants. You gotta gig to sort out!"

(o)

Sorting out what he did and didn't know clarified two things for Duo. First, what he didn't know out-weighed what he did know by a gazillion pounds. Secondly, Quatre's image came into focus. When it came to getting information, Quatre was his go-to man of the moment.

And it was never too late to call his night-owl friend.

"Hey, bro'!"

"Who? Oh, Duo! I was just thinking about you. I'm so glad you called."

"You're possibly the only person who can say that. You know… combining thinking of me and being glad about it, heh, heh."

"Ha! You are so refreshing to talk to."

"Yeah, and I know it wasn't me you were thinking of."

"Duo, what's on that busy little brain of yours?"

"Lots of things, starting with I saw a certain sexy acrobat who says hi."

"Trowa's back in town?! We just talked and he didn't tell me!"

Duo caught the touch of sorrow in his voice. "He will, eventually, but you know how he is."

"He's far too sensitive about the differences in our positions in life. I told him it didn't matter to me and that I'd love to see him again."

"Well, it matters to him because he's a guy, and males have this need to be the man and provide for those they care about and not be taken care of."

"I'm a man, too," Quatre asserted, "and perfectly capable of taking care of myself!"

"But it matters to him."

"And I say rubbish!"

"You can say whatever, I'm just saying. Anyway, I gotta…job for him that may just change everything and make your dreams come true."

"That sounds very… tidy."

"Yeah, well it's got a long way to go first. And… I'm doing the research part now."

"Don't let him get into any trouble, will you?"

"Well, that's why I called. I'm hoping you can get some information for me that will in the end help your sweetie."

"What kind of information?"

"Well, this ought to be easy for you. I need to find out the amount of cash reserves the Sanc government is currently holding."

"That is simple, Duo, the State of the Kingdom report is on the internet. Even you could look it up, but I just so happen to have a copy of the report on my desk."

"Cool. See? I knew you were just the guy to go to."

"Uh, huh," Quatre sounded dubious. "What are you up to, I ask again? Oh! Has this to do with the reality show? You've met with TK already and not told me about it?!"

"I'm telling you now. Yeah, Treize Khushrenada and I met. He's giving me free rein and now I'm in the gathering-data phase. So, how much—approximately?"

"The value is nearly—"

"Ah, not value, the weight of it. In pounds."

"Oh, is _that_ all?" Quatre then grumbled about asking for the impossible.

"Not all." Duo heard the young executive's breathing getting heavier, the gears churning, then—bingo! The conclusion drawn!

"Duo, are you considering robbing the palace on TV?"

"Yes and no, can we put that on hold for a minute?"

"Um, okay. I'm watching the time, for your information."

"Thanks. I also need to know if there is anything going on at the palace in the next month or so?"

"Duo, it is a busy place. Of course there is. They have a calendar of events, which is something you too can access. You do have a computer?"

"Who needs one when I got you? Heh, heh… What I need to know is probably not listed for public viewing. I need to know about all kinds of events."

"Well, actually, not very much. Surprising… Oh, no it's not! I should have remembered! My sister, Iria, has been notifying me about this."

"And _this_ is?"

"Spring cleaning." Quatre laughed at Duo's snort. "The palace is closed temporarily each year for refurbishing. Iria invites Relena to stay with her while the palace is cleaned. It's a major overhaul this year. That means painting, washing, repairs-."

"How about the art on the walls? Does that get removed? Duo asked.

"Well, I suppose. Duo. Your unnatural interest in housekeeping is taking on a devious quality. You are plotting something tricky, aren't you? Something way beyond the bounds of a simple pinch or two of vases."

"Yeah. Can't fool you, huh? Heh, heh."

"Your minute is up."

"Okay, okay. Well, like you told me, that TK dude wants to tape me pulling a caper and turn it into a reality show."

"I don't watch those, but I understand they are very popular. So, you liked the idea, I take it?"

"I'm still warming to it. I'm not 100 percent sold on it."

"Naturally! It's crazy risky!"

"But not totally un-doable, and here's why. What oiled my gears was a string of prior occurrences, which had led me to a private tour of the Sanc Palace. I brought Trowa along for backup, though it wasn't necessary as it turned out. Very promising."

"Trowa?"

"No," Duo said with a long-suffering sigh. "The palace, as a place to burgle."

After waiting out Quatre's choking experience, Duo continued to describe his emerging plan.

"It's only in its infancy, this idea. But, what with the Alliance threatening to rob them anyway, I might as well turn a profit and make this TV show."

"Yes, I see… possibilities… I could get some … items of interest out of the palace for Relena."

"Yeah, that's right, like—" as he heard it from Trowa "- using your resources to move some of the holdings, lots of ideas, but we don't want to work at cross purposes here either. We gotta pool our resources and—"

Quatre's voice rose in pitch with his excitement. "I have dozens of sisters who'd love to help Relena pack clothes away, which would provide plenty of space for hiding papers. This is very timely, Duo, although, I wouldn't want that to be captured on film."

"I get your drift and I'm working on that part. So far—"

"Oh! Oh!" Quatre squealed. "The circus always puts on a little season starter kiddie show on the lawns in front of the palace! Trowa will be there."

Duo rubbed his sore ear, "Yeah, fun for all. Well, I'll let you go." He thanked his friend for the help, and signed off. He had plenty to think over and he needed to sleep on it.

But…

"Oh, shit…"

He called Quatre back. "How many circus people and stuff would you estimate shows up at the palace?"

"How much what?"

"In pounds." Duo clarified.

"What?!" Good luck with that.

(o)

Later that night, Duo was awakened by a phone call. Quatre. "Whatsup?"

"160 people, you can average that out anyway you like in pounds, and another 200 people in volume of material and 44,530 pounds of gold and other bullion."

"Quatre, you are a doll. Love you to death."

"Duo, keep me informed, please?"

"Will do."

"Oh, and now that there is a prince in residence I don't know what can be done with him… where he will go during the cleaning."

"The prince? Oh, drat. Okay, just one more thing on my ever-growing list. Thanks."

"Good night."

He shut off his phone and flopped onto his back, rattling his wobbly mattress. He considered the numbers before jotting them down and playing around with the numbers. That was a lot of weight to carry out. Too much for a backpack, or a box, or a dozen boxes.

"What is big?" After mentally crossing off elephants, balloons, and a fleet of limos, Duo was suddenly stricken with a bolt of brilliance. "Yes!" Of course, how to move the weighty treasure would hinge on the _when_ aspect, so he called Trowa.

"No."

"Trowa! It's me!"

"Go away."

"Wakey, wakey!"

"Yo."

"How soon can the circus come to Sanc palace for that special show they do each year?

"It starts the season." Trowa answered immediately. "For the right amount, a couple weeks."

"Cool. How do you move the circus?"

"Transport it? Trains are cheap. We have our own. Generations ago, special tracks were installed alongside the palace, but the main ones aren't far from there." He cleared a groggy throat. "You've seen them. Yellow and red."

"How many people to travel?"

"Figure 150, more including the animals. And there's a buncha crap."

"Yeah, like I though. Okay. I'll need six or so coaches."

"All you want."

"All of them the same color. Yellow, with red around the windows. I mean they gotta all look like they're from the circus."

"I got what I got… Well, I'll do what I have to. If you give the word now, we can freshen up the paint to make sure they all match."

"And a coal tender, of course, and a locomotive. A freight locomotive."

Trowa stared into the distance at nothing in particular. He'd borrowed parts, improvised, kept the circus going, but freight locomotives, working ones were hard to come by. Well, he had one that ought to be running by that time. "Six red and yellow coaches," he said at last. "Tender, freight locomotive. That will cost a lot to run, just warning you. _That it?"_

The sarcasm in his tone was not lost on Duo. "In about, say, two weeks. And I need it to travel under the guise of the circus."

"Of course." Are you crazy? "So, this is for moving the bullion, right?"

"Uh, huh."

Trowa sighed. "Let's say you work out how to get at that and move on. You guesitmated a lot of train cars. How did you figure that?" Trowa admired Duo's math skills. It contributed to his success as a robbery strategist.

Duo had jotted down a few figures on a scrap of paper. "We gotta haul a total of 88,000 pounds: 360 people-things —43,000 pounds of them averaging 120 lbs/person. Sharing the train with 44,530 pounds of freight."

"I'll believe you."

"So, 88,000 pounds equaled 44 tons. Figuring two tons to a normal freight car, a locomotive could easily pull twenty cars. Your six passenger coaches would be heavy, but that doesn't matter—they got no suspension to speak of, they'd roll along if the locomotive could pull them."

Was 44,530 correct? Duo resisted the instinct to do the figures again. Seven hundred and twelve thousand ounces always made 44,530 pounds, which, divided into five-pound units, always made 8,906. Math is always the same.

"That's a lot of gold," Trowa said. He sounded as if he didn't believe Duo, which he didn't, but he wouldn't ask for more explanation than Duo would offer. Not yet.

"Yeah, I'm not digging the load, but it might work."

Trowa sighed. "I'll get on it."

"Oh, and one more thing. If you were a prince and your palace was getting torn up and cleaned, where would you go?"

"In spring?"

"Yeah."

"South of France is nice. Circus is heading in that direction. Don't all the out-of-work monarchs collect in France?"

If only it was that simple. "Thanks, Tro'."

"Don't mention it."

(o)

Heero called shortly after. "Hello, Duo. Is this too late to call?"

"Hey," Duo greeted him. "It's never too late or too early. Been missing your voice."

"That's nice. Sorry about not getting back to you."

"Been busy?"

"I'm always occupied. The job is demanding."

"So, what's that noise in the background?"

"Roommates."

"You have roomies?"

"It's a military boarding house. Two meals and a bed, shared rooms."

"Oh, that sounds…sucky, actually, even if it comes with food." Then Duo thought of something. "Are any of the other guys, you know, gay?"

"No. Not that I know of. We don't spend much time socializing."

"Oh, well that's too bad, or good if you're me wondering who my competition is, heh, heh."

"You have none."

"Aww, what a sweet-talker." Duo chuckled a little. "Wanna hear a story of mine?"

"Yeah."

"So the place I lived before this one was a basement. Above me was a pizza shop. The oven heated my room great in winter."

"What about the summer?"

"I was out by then."

"How about the smell? I don't think I could live with that all day," Heero said with emotion.

"But that was the best bit. All that cheese! And garlic! Still, you get used to it. Anyway, on the floors above _that_ lived a bunch of girl dancers from a nearby physical education college."

"You were the only male in residence?" Heero asked.

"That's right. Kinda odd. Suddenly, I was the most popular guy in town, I swear. Every dude I knew was dropping by to say hi."

"Was that all?"

"Sadly, yes. They weren't gay. They were there to catch a glimpse of the girls and try to ask one out. I was just an excuse."

"Tough."

"Yeah, and frustrating. Some of the guys were hot. Anyway, it made me think of you in your circumstances. All those men and no connections."

"And only the one girl," Heero put in.

Duo laughed at his joke. "Good one. Funny thing. At least one of the girls living upstairs had the hots for me. Most of them kept stopping by with treats, you know, cookies or pies. I liked that part."

"I should think so. Why did you leave?"

"I had a falling out eventually. Mostly, I needed more privacy for my, ah, work."

"Your work." Heero's voice dropped an octave, into the grave and serious tenor.

"Yeah." His work was something he wished to avoid discussing with Heero. "So, tell me about your day."

"That will take a while," Heero muttered.

"Even better! I'll get you started. Ahem... It began at 5:30 AM, heh, heh—"

"Ha!"

Heero's warm chuckle sent a tingling jolt of happiness through him.

He'd made Heero laugh.

He was going to have to find a way to get together soon. Job or no job!


	4. Not Only Clowns Can Juggle

Chapter Four - Not Only Clowns Can Juggle

* * *

Duo awakened with a start. From the angle of the sun, blasting a murky streak across his wall, he could tell it was nearly noon. He turned over onto his back and groaned, feeling overheated and sweating in his shabby blankets. His head swam in a state of uneasy confusion.

"Whatta dream!" he cried out dramatically and despaired of having awoken out of it without resolution. "Aw, shit."

There was the good part, being in Heero's arms, and the bad. He'd jumped in-between Trowa and Heero, separating them, and then landed on the ground with a knife in his ribs. He didn't know who it belonged to in the dream. Heero was in his face yelling, when his eyes opened.

His phone beeped with a message: "Please call me after your morning ablutions."

Without checking the name, he knew from the polite phrasing that it could only have come from his well-bred friend, Quatre Winner. Duo took his time getting dressed, washing his face, re-plaiting his hair, before looking around for his phone.

His phone alerted him with a new message: "I have food!"

Duo moved a little faster, grabbing his coat and scooting out the door and down the staircase and down the alley. Sure enough, the long, sleek limousine was parked across the street from the restaurant Duo lived behind.

No sooner had Duo slid into the backseat alongside the young corporate executive, than he was bombarded with his excited chatter.

"Good morning! Here's your favorite coffee and a bagel, so eat and listen," Quatre started off.

"Okay," he mumbled, mouth full. No argument there.

"This year the palace has planned for a very thorough spring cleaning. More like an overhaul that hasn't been done in years. Isn't that opportune? Even the carpets will be removed."

"Good," Duo said, but it came out as "Wood," with a few stray crumbs.

"Eat and don't comment, please. These include a collection of priceless Chinese rugs, from the L5 colony, and Persian rugs from L4," Quatre annotated.

Duo nodded and tried a thumbs-up without spilling his coffee.

"In addition, I discovered that _all_ the art is being removed while the walls are painted."

"Who-?" Duo asked, his voice muffled by bagel.

"Chang Antiquities has cared for the relics in the past few years," Quatre replied. His eyes sparkled. "They move and store them in specially made crates. You know _him_."

"Yeah," Duo said, but he groaned internally. Chang Wufei. Well, there was no avoiding that insider, it seemed. There was a glimmer of hope, though. Special crates could be made with hidden compartments for jewels. He swallowed his bite and washed it down with a gulp of hot coffee, while listening to Quatre regale him with what he'd learned about the crown jewels.

"-the regalia and vestments worn by the sovereign of the Sanc Kingdom during the coronation ceremony and at other state functions, includes: the crowns, scepters, orbs, swords, rings, spurs, colobium sindonis, dalmatic, armill, and the royal robe or pall, as well as several other objects connected with the ceremony itself. The robes are stored—"

"Who cares about robes? Sounds like a lotta crap to haveta wear, huh? Ever seen the crown jewels?" Duo asked

Quatre's face lit with the memory. "Yes, they are on display. If you take the tour—"

"Yeah, I saw them. The crowns are big."

"That's true. Oh! I see. Crowns wouldn't fit in a flat crate with the paintings."

"How did you know what I was thinking?" Duo barked, choking on a crumb.

While pounding him on the back, Quatre said, "Duo, I know how you think, and I didn't collect this information without some inkling of how you could apply it to your…problem."

"Ugh." Duo wasn't going to best his friend at mind games this early. How could he be awake at all hours of the night and still be so bright and clear-headed in the morning? Well, afternoon. "Ugh," he repeated.

"Now, back to the important things. Remember how I told you my sisters will come help pack? I didn't tell you? Well, they are all excited to help Iria. I visualize plenty of space for hiding papers."

"Papers? What papers?"

"Oh, Duo."

Duo waited out the deep, meaningful sigh, knowing that Quatre would get to the point sooner or later.

"Securities, land holdings, contracts, treaties, valuable documents of all kinds!"

"Oh, yeah, the holdings." Duo tried to look interested in the topic of papers. He was more of a metal-and-jewel man.

"There is a veritable fortune in those documents. My company will, well, that doesn't interest or involve you. I am doing this for Sanc. Not for me, you understand?"

"Not really."

"Well I _am_. And it is critical that I get those papers out of the palace and into safe storage."

"Oh, okay. You take care of that then, but I can't promise I can transport—"

Quatre patted his shoulder. "I have already taken care of that. The Maguanacs have offered to transport the princess and all her personal belongings to the L4 colony where Iria lives."

"Tidy."

"Yes," Quatre looked pleased.

"Like you."

Quatre frowned and smoothed his immaculate sandy hair. "I'm not _ti-dy_. I'm… dapper." He reached for his own coffee, sipped, and nearly splashed both men when he bounced excitedly in his seat. "Hat boxes! For the crowns!"

Duo wasn't excited about having the crowns slip through his fingers and into his friend's coffers, but he might have to rack it up to the high cost of doing business with Mr. Winner.

"Oh, this will be fun!" Quatre chortled.

"Fun? Yeah. Fun."

"You know, Duo, imitation crown jewels exist, which were made for display? What you see of the crown jewels aren't the real ones."

"No, I didn't know that."

"Howard…he and his school of professionals …the Doctors… created the replicas," Quatre said between sips.

Duo rolled over the new facts and sorted through where he was in his thinking. His plan had expanded from pilfering a few baubles to lifting the entire contents of the palace. Committing a felony for a TV show would pay him and his buddies well. It sounded good if the TV company's legal department worked magic; disastrous if "legal" fell through. For Quatre's sake and Wufei's sake, the moving out government documents and the valuable contents of the palace and replacing them with fakes would have to be done on the sly and simultaneously with the reality show.

"Ugh." With the complexity growing, swelling the caper's size from a playful, compact otter into a beached, bloated whale, Duo felt his head ache. Hopefully, he could deflate the job a bit.

"Just for completeness sake," Duo said, "you figure these documents you're interested in and the other stuff… like the real jewels, the gold and hard cash and all… that everything's stored in the same place, in the palace basement or something?" Please, oh please.

"Oh, no! Duo, you know where the Sanc Treasury building is! Next to the palace. That big ugly building you point out to me every time we've passed it? Duo? Breathe!"

"Yeah. I'm okay."

The whale had just mushroomed into a blimp, a giant soaring blimp of horrendous proportions, but Duo liked that the beast had, at least, a metallic lining.

"I don't know what exactly is stored where, but most will be in the treasury."

"Um, just one more thing."

Duo decided to pose his dilemma to Quatre, who was good at decisions. "It was proposed, meaning just under consideration, that I might get the princess in on this—"

"Oh, no! Don't do that! Even if her heart might be with you, she couldn't really condone your methods. No. Leave that to me. Please, promise me you'll not attempt to contact her or…"

"Okay, okay! I won't. It wasn't like I was going to. I'll get back to you when the plan's jelled a little more."

"It was _him_ wasn't it, who suggested that; that is, bringing Relena in on it?"

"Which _him_?"

"Duo!"

"Oh, yeah. Trowa did mention it."

"I called him and we talked. I wish he'd ask me to come visit. I don't feel it would be proper to just drop in on him at the circus."

"No, that might embarrass him," Duo agreed. "His pride isn't exclusive to his lions."

His joke missed his mark. Quatre looked soulful.

"I have my own brand of vanity, has he forgotten that!" Quatre blinked back what Duo thought looked like tears. "I've made the first move. Now, it is up to him."

"That… may take a while. I'll talk to him."

"Oh, would you do that for me?"

Not that he should, but he would. "Sure, buddy."

"Thank you! You are such a good friend, Duo! Oh! Here's my stop."

"Ah, thanks to you, too, for the info."

"My pleasure."

Rashid let his young boss out at the Winner Corporate office building, downtown Sanc branch. "And where would you like to go, Mr. Maxwell?"

"I, ah, need to make a couple vidcalls, that all right?"

"Perfectly. Shall I drive through the municipal park, then?"

"Yeah, cool. Thanks, man."

"At your service."

(o)

"C'mon, circus boy, pick up. I know you're not that devoted to your work."

"Yo."

He watched as Trowa's face came into view, swiping away the long bangs to reveal a sweet smile.

"Hey, Tro."

The smile faded. "You're not Quat."

Duo passed up the temptation to abuse so many punch lines (No, but I've got his dead body right here. No, but you be dog.) "No, I'm calling from his limo. You know, he's waiting for you to call him back, dummy. He wants to see you in person."

"Not going to happen." Trowa shook his head and the fall of hair curtained half his face. Trowa didn't believe he was worthy of the fine, wealthy man's attention and until he had improved his station in life, he wasn't going to actively pursue him. Period. End of conversation. "You called?"

"Yes, I am calling you with more info."

"Better be important."

"It is," Duo assured him. "Okay, I got bad news and good news."

"What's the bad?" Trowa asked, unafraid to take on the worst as Duo had expected.

"The cash reserves aren't stored on site in the palace. It's all stored in the treasury building."

"What _treasury_?"

"That's what _I_ said! And the answer was, and is: The Sanc Treasury building, that fortress bristling with antennae and security and intel communication devices. Now for the good news."

Trowa cleared his clogged throat. "I can use some about now."

"The treasury is close to the palace and the rail line goes by it. In fact, it's set up for loading and unloading material."

"But I was counting on one break-in. I was thinking up a few acrobatics that would look good on TV. But this means two, and a forced entry on a vault like in a treasury building? Fuck. I bet that building is locked down tight."

"Wouldn't take that bet, for sure," Duo said sighing. "It's so fucking fucked that the cash reserves aren't stored in the same place as the crown jewels—or, contrarily, they might be. Why did I even think it would be simple? Is anything _ever _that easy?"

"Whining won't help. You need to get hold of the palace layout," Trowa said. "And you have a man inside that would get that for you, if you're willing to meet his price."

Duo swallowed hard. He wasn't certain if Trowa meant Heero or another contact, and he didn't really want to know. He had problems with both, but Heero in particular he didn't want to use or get wrapped up in this job and jeopardize both the job and their blossoming relationship. The other man, Chang, well, that was another matter. He'd already used him for one favor and wasn't looking forward to having to include him into the heist and deal with all his _prima donna_ demands; although, from what Quatre had told him, he'd be there collecting art.

"I'll think about it."

"Think _fast_."

"I _will_," Duo emphasized, annoyed at Trowa for nagging him.

"Later."

All Duo could think about was that he'd have to find a way to keep the TV cameras on him and not Quatre, as promised, or Trowa, the ham, and probably not Wufei, who'd have plenty of reasons for not wanting to be televised. Oh, that just made everything oh, so easy!

So easy to be sarcastic.

(o)

Duo had intended to give Heero a vidphone call to his personal cell phone, because it was so fun to surprise the guard, but now Trowa's words niggled at the back on his mind, overruling his desires.

Oh, Heero…

Duo contacted Chang Wufei, art conservator, seller, and buyer. They had a past, beginning with their wartime contacts. Often they'd been on the same side, supporting their colonies against unification efforts or Alliance belligerence. More recently, he and Wufei had crossed paths and combined careers in order to transfer some wealth into their own pockets semi-legally through the shifting of art treasures from one collector to another, a tenuous though financially viable transaction that re-routed rare Chinese antiquities into the L5 colony. As long as he found a way to link the activity with some honorable return of valuable to Wufei's precious colony, Duo had discovered he had leverage over his accomplice.

"I'm busy, so make it quick."

"Hi to you too, 'Fei, ole buddy of mine."

"Your visit to the palace was satisfactory, I take it."

"Yes, yes it was. Remember what I said when I called before 'Fei? I owe ya one? Well, this is gonna make your day."

"I doubt it."

"Doubt away, but while you're doing that, do you have a valuation of the palace art?"

"I have a complete inventory. Art is regularly taken down for cleaning and restoration. Usually not the entire collection, only one or two at a time."

"Except for this year."

"Y—what do you know about that?"

"Spring cleaning. I have eyes and ears everywhere. So, when you remove the art, do you leave blank walls?"

"Not at all. The important pieces have copies. When the original is removed, a reproduction is hung in its place if restoration is required and the painting is not ready by the time the painting, if any, is done. We are trusted to return and authenticate all the originals."

"How do you move them? Wrapped in paper?"

"Absolutely not! What kind of sub-standard operation do you think I run? No. We build exceptional crates, hand-made exclusively for transport."

Confirming what Quatre had said, Duo thought with satisfaction. Nothing rinky-dink about Chang's shop. Could this get any better?

Well, yes. Lots. But this was a nice break.

"Why are you asking me these questions?" Wufei snapped. "What are you planning?"

"It's big," Duo said.

"How big?"

Counting on support for his colonial roots to draw in Wufei, Duo said, "Enough for me and you and a couple others to live the high life, and still have plenty left over for re-building the L5 colony."

Silence. "I don't believe you are capable of conceiving much less carrying out an endeavor of that magnitude."

"I'm not working _alone_. That's why I called you."

"Well, naturally you'd need a man of my skills in your operation."

"Yeah, yeah," Duo let out a breath of irritation. "So, you think new crate covers can be built with hidden compartments for scepters, swords, brooches, ear rings, bracelets, necklaces, jewels, and whatnot?"

"For…what?"

"The Sanc crown jewels. We can look up the particulars on those, everything but the crowns. Those gotta go in different cartons, and we got that covered."

"Covered? Are you crazy?"

"No, I am not, and I gotta say I'm getting a little tired of everyone asking me that particular and rather personal question."

"Pisshaw!" Wufei said, or something that sounded equally off-putting to Duo. "Just tell me who else have you involved in this, because if it's some lame-brained—"

"Winner."

"Quatre Winner? He's no criminal!"

"Not that you know of," Duo muttered under his breath.

"What's that? Speak up!"

"Quatre's more of a silent partner so keep that under your hat."

"Of course! Who else?"

"Barton."

"Oh, well, he is the best at delicate extractions. Barton. Yes, his participation influences the entire plan. He doesn't involve himself in worthless enterprises, and Winner? I can't imagine how you roped him into your wild scheme, but it does prevail upon me to give this idea of yours serious consideration."

At this point, Duo knew he had Wufei's confirmed involvement and he relaxed a little, distanced himself a little, to let him think, a lot, while pointing out the more interesting aspects to date. "There's the art and rugs to be moved for cleaning, which you are aware of. Only, I think the fakes will move in and the originals won't be returned to protect the assets of the Sanc Kingdom from the New Alliance."

"Alliance," Wufei growled, as Duo knew he would. No love lost there.

He went on, covering what he'd heard about the New Alliance intentions, with the occasional "yes" coming from his listener. This was not fresh news to him, apparently, having dealt with antiquities stolen from the colonies in the past.

"Then there's some papers that interest Quatre and a load of cash reserves and gold I still gotta chase down… but it's a lot of merchandise to move."

The art conservator spoke using careful diction as if he were talking down to an errant apprentice. "I will require some assistance."

"Of course," Duo agreed, gritting his teeth. Here come the expected stipulations and ultimatums. He had to stem the tide first. "But there's something else going on that'll keep me occupied."

"Oh? Robbing the palace is not enough for you? What brass!"

"You bet I've got chutzpah! But, no, no… it's not what you think. How to explain…? There will be some guys filming a reality TV show about my robbery."

"Oh, now… how stupid do you think I am?"

Duo caught himself just in time before quipping out a smart-aleck remark he'd regret making later. "I'm not kidding you. It is real all right. These TV guys have got a legal department on it so things will work out."

"Leave me out of it!"

"I plan to! Anyway, that all has nothing to do with you, if all goes right. While you and the others are busy, the filming will be on me."

"Sounds problematic."

"I don't have it all worked out yet!" Duo whined, unable to prevent himself from getting all worked up.

Which was just what the other man wanted.

"I see." Wufei sounded serene in comparison. "So, it's all up to me. Of course, I'm used to working on my own with limited support. You can rely on me to carry out my part of the job. For the sake of my colony, you can be sure of that! I shall supply my own backup, and I know just the man to ask and he will do the work for free, practically."

"Ah…" Duo really wanted to staunch the bleeding of people-involved right then and there with a cutting remark. However. He needed Wufei and didn't want to hurt his tender feelings. "Um… that sounds too good to be true. I gotta know who it is. You get that, right? This is my job. I gotta vouch for everyone."

"Hesmyboyfriendmill."

Duo couldn't make out the mumbled words. "What's that?"

"I _said…_ that he is…," Wufei cleared his throat, "my boyfriend, Mill."

"Mill? Never heard of him."

"I'll arrange an introduction."

"Okay," Duo drawled, pleased with how things were falling into place. "That'll do for now, but if I don't like him, you'll have to work alone or try for another guy I do know. _Capish_?"

"Don't be insulting. I wouldn't suggest anyone but the very best."

"Yeah, well, I'll look forward to meeting your…boyfriend."

"Very well. Business calls. Good bye."

Duo signed off just as the vidphone signaled an incoming call from Q.R.W.

(o)

"Hey, Quatre! Long time no see, heh, heh. Miss my mug already?"

"Hello, Duo. Of course I miss you! I just had the greatest idea!"

"Bring it on, buddy."

"Iria told me- well, first, she wanted to be remembered to you."

"Aw, how nice. She still has a thing for me, huh?"

"Ha! Your hair, Duo. She envies you your hair."

"If that's how you live with the truth, so be it. Heh, heh."

"As I was saying, Iria says they have always arranged a party the evening before moving out for cleaning. Now, if we could time everything just right, culminating with the circus the next day at the same time as the moving, this could work to our benefit."

"Yeah, that might help. If Iria could keep the princess busy and if it doesn't mean too many nosy guests humming about, getting in the way. Trowa and I will have loads of setup to get done before we want cameras rolling."

"I'll connect with both Iria and Relena and tone down the party plans. I've already assured the princess that I am working in concert with Pargon, who in the past has managed the spring cleaning and is very happy to have my assistance."

"Who wouldn't?" Duo asked, laughing, feeling better about the plans by the minute.

"With Relena's blessing my directions won't be questioned."

"We hope." Duo cleared his throat. "There's one more thing."

"What's that?"

"One more person for you to invite to the party. Friend of mine."

"Um… who?"

"Solo Solomon."

"Solo… the Governor of L2? Why him? I don't know him well enough."

"I do. Tell him you are a buddy of mine and that there's a chick he's gotta meet."

"A chicken? What are you talking about, Duo?"

"He's unmarried, one of the top ten most eligible bachelors there is, a real hottie in a chick-magnet sorta way, smart, somewhat powerful—a perfect match for the princess, dontcha think?"

"_Princess Relena is the_ chick? You're match-making for the princess? Duo, why on earth would you…? Wait, how do you even know Governor Solomon?"

"I told you about Solo, the kid I grew up with that made it big?"

"You did, but…no. You never said he was that Solo! Duo, why didn't you ever ask him for a job? He could have-!"

"He might have, yeah, but I'm not that way and I wouldn't put him into a position like that and I'm not going to defend what I did… not now, unless you got lots of time."

"No, I don't, have much time, I mean. Just answer me this: why her?"

"So she leaves this guy I'm interested in alone."

"You are competing with Princess Relena for a date?"

"It's not so impossible! C'mon, don't make me explain. You'll do it, won't you please?"

"Yes, of course, as crazy as that sounds, I'll invite him. Duo, you have to go now."

"Go? Oh, you mean I gotta give up my deluxe transport?"

"Correct. Rashid has loads of duties to carry out—without you. So, have him drop you someplace convenient and toddle off."

"Yeah, sure. Thanks for the use of the wheels."

"My pleasure."

The vidphone screen darkened. "Hey, 'Sheed?"

"Yes, Mr. Maxwell?"

"Time for me to toddle along, I guess."

"Where would you like to stop?"

"Um, how about the treasury building?"

Without skipping a beat or batting an eyelash, the driver replied, "Very good, sir."

After a few turns, the limousine cruised to a smooth stop and deposited Duo on the sidewalk. The Sanc Treasury loomed in front of him.

"As ugly as ever, geez." He couldn't believe he'd missed the man-high sized letters carved in limestone mined from the bowels of Sanc's mountains, proclaiming: KINGDOM OF SANC TREASURY.

"Now, where are the train tracks?" he wondered and trotted off to find out.


	5. You Take the High Road

Chapter Five - You Take the High Road

* * *

Walking home that evening, Duo had two things on his mind. He needed to get a copy of the palace layout. This need was tied for importance with his desire to see Heero. Maybe it was because of balance that his thoughts passed back and forth from one to the other until a new, combined idea came to the fore.

Heero would have a detailed floor plan of the palace!

Now, if only he could get Heero to invite him into his barracks. Imagery filled his mind complete with exciting fantasy sex and took over for a few blocks. He paused in front of a dive featuring grub on the cheap, a place he'd frequented many times with good cheer. This time, however it just depressed him. He didn't want to eat alone.

He rang up Heero just in case he could free up an hour or so. "Hi."

"I was about to call you. Have you time to meet for dinner?" Heero asked.

"You bet! I'm at your disposal all night." If you get my hint?

"Good answer." Heero's chuckle was deep and sent Duo's drives into first gear. "I have an idea. Where are you?"

Dou gave him the nearest cross streets, which would bring him into a seedy neighborhood, but he asked. "Give me a half hour or so and I could be further uptown."

"No, stay where you are. I won't be long. Let me surprise you."

A highly-honed sense of self-preservation and wariness of surprises, dragged down his chipper tone when he tried putting as much enthusiasm as possible into his reply. "O-kay."

He stuffed his hands in his jacket pockets and stood near the corner just outside the circle of lamplight. He estimated it would take Heero at least twenty minutes to jog here. Time to daydream a little.

What he wanted was to be over this job, be wallowing in wealth, and cruising off into the sunset with Heero. He imagined the prospect could come true in a month or so, if he could get Heero to quit his job and run away with him. Or sail away. Endless water, sun, tropical islands with long stretches of sandy beaches and lazy days…

A car pulled to the curb and the window lowered. Expecting no one, but curious if Heero had a car, led him to the passenger side. He leaned over and looked in. A man waved a fistful of bills at him. "Hop in, baby."

Say what? "No!" Duo hopped backwards and turned his back on the car, and put distance between him and the man.

A hooker! The man thought he was a hooker! Duo couldn't believe he'd been so stupid as to parade in this neighborhood at this hour.

He heard a whistle and words of admiration for his braid and butt.

For fuck'ssake!

A door slammed and footsteps pounded his way. "Hey! I was talking to you!" the man called after him.

"Go 'way!" Duo said. He moved a hand to his pants pocket and fisted his knife, just in case. He hadn't needed to injure anyone in some time and hoped he could talk his way out of the predicament first. Still, cleaning this guy's clock would get his adrenalin going and burn off some of the excess nervous energy he'd built up while thinking about Heero.

The man gripped his arm and Duo spun around, set to punch the man in the face. He leashed in his temper and ground out carefully, "Leggo the arm, dude."

"If you want the alley, I'm good with it, but I was offering a nice room." The man brought his other hand into play to stroke Duo's back.

A motorcycle grumbled up the street, slowing as it neared the confrontation. What if this guy had backup, Duo wondered? He didn't like being outnumbered.

Enough was enough! Duo's nostrils flared, his hands flexed. "What you don't get is that I said no, go away, and let the fuck go of me. I say three strikes and you are out." Duo drew his blade. "Now, back off."

"Hey, man!" the accoster shouted.

But it wasn't because of anything Duo had done.

Duo's accoster rose off his feet into the air, lifted by a pair of extremely strong arms.

"He said 'go'," said a new voice, "so I suggest you do that or I will cite you for assault, and if you hit me, you'll be arrested for assaulting a peace protector."

Feet firmly on terra firma again, the man babbled about a "knife" and demanded to see identification.

Heero flashed him his Sanc Elite Palace Guard badge, which shut him up, and then Heero demanded that he apologize to Duo, which the stranger did before scooting back to his car and speeding away.

"Thanks, but I coulda handled him," Duo grumbled, hands on hips.

"I know, but I didn't want you to get blood on your nice jacket," Heero smiled. "Besides, I wanted to show off a little, too." He peeked through his dark bangs, looking less sure of his reception. "Did it work?"

"Work? Oh, yeah, very impressive…authoritative." Duo grinned.

"Good, then you can oblige me more by wearing this," Heero offered him a helmet, "and coming for a ride?"

"Oh, baby! What I can do with a line like that!" Duo laughed as he wrapped his braid atop his head and jammed on the helmet to hold it safely in place.

"Climb on."

Duo straddled the big bike behind Heero, wrapped his arms around Heero's narrow waist, and gave him a quick squeeze. "Ready."

Heero shot down the street, the cycle roaring into the dark, aiming for the highway. A few hair-raising turns broke up the breathtaking straightaways. Not that Duo would complain. This was as close to nirvana as he'd ever get, he guessed, so he nuzzled the broad back and smiled into the wind, careless of where they were going.

Out of the sheltered valley of the Sanc capital and up through a mountain pass they climbed. Pines and fir trees loomed tall and dark giving a tunnel feel to the roadway. When the path opened, Duo thought he could see stars, and then they started the fast decline down, passing turnoffs for valleys and towns Duo had never visited.

His eyes were closed so his first clue was the smell of the sea. That was unexpected! He straightened and watched as they turned off for the Wayside Wharf.

"I can't believe your taking me out to dinner at the beach!" Duo exclaimed.

"You seemed pleased."

"Oh, I am, very. This is spectacular."

Heero parked. "It's better in daylight when you can see things. Want to walk a bit?"

"Yeah, get the kinks out. I'm still vibrating."

The pair strolled the wooden wharf, hands not touching, but close. Duo breathed the air and claimed it was "The best!" He leaned out over the railing, but couldn't make out the barking animals in the dark under the pilings.

"Porpoises and sea lions swim around here and there are noisy birds trying to steal the fishermen's catches."

"Awesome!"

"I'll bring you back here in the daylight, since you like it so much."

They were standing shoulders level and close enough that Duo felt his warm breath on his cheek. "That'd be cool. I'd like that," Duo said, leaning into the other man. Being with Heero alone and being pummeled by the bracing, fresh air off the sea was intoxicating. Seeing the wildlife he'd only read about, would be over the top.

For dinner, Heero bought them baskets of fish and chips and hot coffee. They sat at a rickety bench and snugged close against the rising wind, while eating the greasy, crunchy delightful morsels. Other people meandered about, cruising the eateries, bars, and peering into windows of closed shops selling t-shirts and souvenirs.

"This has been good. Without question, it's been best part of my day."

Duo looked over Heero's face. He though his friend looked tired. "Something go wrong today?"

"Relena," he said with a long sigh. "She's not a bad person, but she puts me into awkward situations. I think she just needs to have more friends."

"She needs a love interest that isn't you," Duo said.

"That may be true. It's as if she's bored and I'm not her equal socially and that excites her. The only people she meets are others of the privileged few, who all seem the same to me."

"Yeah, can't blame her for knowing value when she sees it, heh, heh…" Duo shook his head and blew on the coffee before taking a sip. "Hot! Good. Yeah, I got a couple friends stuck in relationship limbo, talking about pride and social separation. They could be good for one another if they could get past their biases."

"That's not my problem with Relena."

"Oh, I know that. You aren't a social climber and you look past our differences okay."

Heero marshaled a little smile. "So far."

"And you're gay, so it's got no future for her. She knows that, right?"

"I haven't told her, but there are other…extenuating circumstances which she's aware of which could only mean—"

"Don't be too sure!" Duo warned him. "Tell her next time she tries something."

"I guess I shouldn't just assume she knows. But then, what if she thinks of me as an even bigger challenge?"

"God, I hope not. What we need is a distraction for her."

"That's sounding reasonable, the more I think about it." Heero smiled at him and then concentrated on his hot drink.

"Good. I'm a planner sort of person. You know, there's a party coming up at the palace soon—"

"How do you know about that? I just heard about it!"

Duo shrugged. Duo didn't want to bring up Quatre's name in relation to the party and hoped Heero wouldn't press him about how he came by the party information. "The help is always the last to know," he joked.

"Not security! Every event plan must go through us first for approval. And there's…" Heero paused to consider his words and what to give away to Duo. "… all the rest to take care of."

Duo guessed that Heero was complaining about all the security problems associated with Relena's spring cleaning plans. Those were only going to get more complicated and Duo knew he was going to have to thwart his efforts and out-smart him.

"That's too bad. It means you won't be able to loaf around at the party, which means the princess might be up for a new beau, am I right?"

"You could be."

"I am and you are in luck! I know a guy that would rock her socks off-!"

Heero chuckled. "I don't think so."

"Hey, you haven't even given him a chance! Don't you think I know important people in important places?"

"I don't want to argue with you. Just drop it. Someone will catch her eye and I'll be forgotten eventually."

Duo was glad to drop the subject if it was going to put Heero in a bad mood. He stared over his shoulder. "Is that fog?"

"Yeah. I was hoping to escape that."

"We gotta leave?"

"While the road is okay, we should." Heero added, "Next time we'll plan to stay, if you want?"

"I want!"

They didn't hurry, though. When they re-traced their walk by the store fronts of the wharf, Heero stepped into one still open.

"We should get sweatshirts to add to what we have. It'll be cold on the way back," he explained.

Duo nearly pointed out how he could buy one and get one for free, but decided now wasn't the time to bring up his skills at stealing. Maybe there was no good time to illuminate the elite guardsman about that?

When they returned to the motorcycle, Heero produced gloves and put them on.

"Don't I get any?"

"You can use my pockets."

Why, yes, he could do that.

There came another exhilarating trip, taking dips and hills at a break-neck speed, leaving Duo's heart thrumming for more as they slowed, purring into the city.

"Can we do a pit stop?" Duo asked, shouting to be heard.

"You just want to see where I live."

"That too."

Heero turned up a side road that led past security gates to a parking lot behind a low set of buildings masked mostly from public view by a row of cypress trees.

"Does look like barracks," Duo mused. "You'd think the elite corps would get something more, you know, elite."

"It's sufficient. None of us are married. Once you do, you get a different job elsewhere. Here," the guard pinned a visitor badge onto Duo's jacket, "wear this at all times."

"Gotcha."

The unadorned hall led to other halls that lead to doors, grey, beige, and scuffed brown.

"Kinda drab," Duo noted.

"I don't notice." Heero seemed uncomfortable and hell-bent on getting Duo out of sight as soon as possible.

"What's the hurry?" Duo queried, quickstepping alongside.

"I need to use the men's room."

Heero pushed open a door and flipped on an overhead light. No one was in. There were four beds, side tables, and small desks at the foot of each metal-framed bed. Heero regarded a door then looked back at Duo as if measuring the distance and computing the time he'd be gone, just to ease his worry that Duo might sneak off with a roommate's treasure. "Can you behave yourself for a few minutes or do I need to cuff you?"

Duo tested one frame for sturdiness, his grin spread like the rising sun cresting the hill tops. "Cuff me, please, baby?"

His tone was so seductive, Heero blushed hot. "Idiot."

One bed, he noted was piled with clothes, the associated desk, littered with papers. "Always one mess-maker, eh?"

"The new hire must have arrived today."

"Oh. Pretty sparse, otherwise."

"Just stay put."

Duo saluted roguishly. "Yes, sir!"

And Heero left the room with a growl or laugh, depending on how Duo took it. Immediately, Duo migrated over to the desk, his curiosity burning a hole in his better judgment. He leafed through the papers, finding forms, rules, legalese agreements of no interest to him. Then, at the bottom of the pile Duo saw maps. The palace layouts?! He couldn't believe his luck!

He heard footfalls from the hallway.

He used the precious remaining time Heero's absence afforded him to collect and fold them so they would fit tightly between his boot and sock. He removed his jacket, turning it into a pillow, and stretched out onto the floor just as Heero entered the room.

"What are you doing?"

"Staying out of trouble. I got tired of standing and didn't want to muss some stranger's bed, but I stayed put."

"You can sit here," Heero pulled out a chair at a desk as he sat at the nearby bed.

"Thanks!" Duo stood and smiled. "Wanna show me where the john is first?"

"Sure."

Duo was glad Heero let him go in and use the men's room unaccompanied. This time. Under different condition, Duo just might have lured him in for some "action". They were long overdue for some lovin', Duo thought.

But not this time.

He closed a stall door and pulled out the maps. He found where the crown jewels were displayed and the turret with glass inset windows high above it. He shot pictures with his phone's camera.

"What's this I see?" Could the dotted lines mean underground? If so, then he had to be having the best run of luck ever.

Underground tunnels connected the palace with the treasury and the treasury to what appeared to be a loading dock.

He jumped when he heard Heero's voice at the outer door. "You okay?"

"Yeah!"

He put away his phone and folded the maps, hiding them under his shirt quickly. Back in the room, his luck continued when Heero bent to pick up Duo's jacket, giving him just enough time to deposit the papers on the desk. He could hear men's voices in the distance and footsteps in the echoing hallway, and Heero made more noise when he dropped his keys. So, Duo used the opportunity presented to smooth out the paper folds a little before he pushed the maps to the bottom of the pile.

"Well done!" he mentally congratulated himself, and then gave thanks to God for blessing him with the luck of the devil.

"Thanks!" he said aloud to Heero, taking the jacket from his friend. "Now, about those cuffs—"

"That was a-a threat, not a promise!" Heero said, his voice cracking.

"Too bad." Duo stepped into his arms for a quick kiss. "Wanna introduce me to your roomies?"

"No."

Out in the hall, Duo greeted the other guards with a cheery "Hello", but he could tell Heero didn't want the meeting to become anything more. "Hey, 'Ro?"

"What?"

"I can catch the bus back to my place from here."

"It's no trouble taking you home."

"Yes, it is. I appreciate the offer, too, but I gotta few stops to make, things to pick up… er… purchase at the all-nighter first. It's been a great night. Let's keep it that way, okay?"

"All right."

Duo smoothed a hand over Heero's arm and skipped past the gate and out of sight into the night.

As he stood at the bus stop, his thoughts drifted from Heero to the job. He had a lot to do. First of all, where did the TV reality show come into the picture? Could he appease them while carrying out all the tasks he'd set himself?

Then there was Mr. Treize Khushrenada himself.

Duo didn't trust "legal" and the liability clause. He didn't feel there was any was out of a felonious robbery of the Kingdom's treasury, captured on video and broadcast worldwide.

Hauling bricks of gold bullion onto waiting train cars would be hard to cover up, especially if Trowa had been serious about putting on a little show of it. And it would be Trowa's ass on the line. Forget "legal"! Getting at the gold would have to be on the side and not televised, which meant he'd require a large-scale distraction for that.

"Oh, man." He'd need another distraction.

He'd planned to use the circus and the TV folks to distract Heero's guards and the party-goers from what Trowa, Wufei, Quatre, were doing. Sure, the TV equipment could cause a commotion, but would it get in the way of his job as much at that of the guards?

The next morning he'd call Mr. Treize Khushrenada to give him "the what" and "the when" and to find out how much trouble this was going to give him.

Yep.

So he had a job with a complex "what", and soon to be determined "when", and he hoped to complete the plans for the "how" without too many more complications.

Wel,l there was the problem of having multiple break-ins. One for the art, one for the legal papers, another at the treasury building, one for the reality show, and … "That's it!" There were false jewels on display and real ones elsewhere! Maybe.

And he'd call his old friend, Howard, about the crown jewel copies. And about the art copies. Confirmation of the facts was required.

Everyone was getting something out of the job, too. That should have given Duo a feeling of satisfaction. Quatre would get what he wanted, including Trowa. Trowa got what he wanted, and more, probably. Wufei would be satisfied, even Princess Relena might meet her match!

If it all worked out he'd never have to work again.

But, he very likely would lose Heero in the process.

That didn't seem right. Everyone would gain from this business. Everyone would be happy. Everyone but Duo and Heero. No, that didn't seem right at all. Definitely unfair.

"Oh, suck it up, Maxwell. You want the money and this is how you get it. With enough of it, you can buy yourself a lover."

But not one like Heero, a little nagging voice reminded him.

"Cut that out!" he chastised himself. What he needed was something else to think about, and then he got it in the form of a ringing phone.

Duo took the call. "Wufei?"

"I have made an appointment for you to meet Mill tomorrow."

"Mill? Oh, the boy-friend. You know, I didn't even know you were gay."

"Of course you didn't. I'm not fool enough to advertise my preferences or reveal his identity to just anyone."

"I feel special, then," Duo said trying to keep the laugh out of his tone.

"If you want. Tomorrow at ten in the morning. _Café Éclair_. Be prompt."

Duo was becoming tired of taking everyone's orders and nearly shouted "screw you" but didn't. "Yeah. Ten sharp. Bye."

When he got home, he fed the stray cat the scraps Hilde had set aside for his use from the restaurant. "Yeah, that woulda been my dinner, so enjoy it."

He fell asleep on a tide of stress, awash with melancholy, and feeling a bit adrift at sea with no horizon. Or was it more up shit creek?

There was plenty of angst and a lot of water, regardless.


	6. And I'll Take the Low Road

Chapter Six — And I'll Take the Low Road

* * *

The next morning, Duo called Mr. Treize Khushrenada at the ungodly hour of _nine_ to give him "the what" and "the when" of "the heist" and to find out how much trouble robbing the palace for a reality TV show was going to give the man.

Mr. Khushrenada assured him that even the palace would be no problem. Surprisingly, this made Duo even less trusting, more uneasy. The producer should have had some qualms, shouldn't he?

And yet…

Khushrenada was _thrilled_ with the scope of it! Imagine, televising him pinching the crown jewels under the watchful eyes of the illustrious elite guard! And the frightful circus people would be an added bonus. There would be freaks on display?

Duo couldn't say. That was not under his control.

And, no, his recording and sound people were the best and would not get into anyone's way. They were very skilled working among the royals. Hardly be noticed!

Duo took that to mean they would be under his feet at every turn, but didn't say so. He had a limitation to get the man to agree to: They were not to film the workers moving objects for spring cleaning. That rule was a little more difficult for Duo to get across. From Duo's perspective, this would keep his promise to Quatre and Wufei to leave them out of the filming. He couldn't say that to Khushrenada, naturally, so how he explained it was that the "help" was union and under contract with the palace to avoid notoriety. Apparently, even the film industry bowed to union rules, as Duo had speculated, and on this point the charismatic Khushrenada eventually backed down.

That set off another warning alarm in Duo's super suspicious head. He felt tempted to question the producer's motivations, but a combination of having won the arguments and the TV man's plentiful charm caused Duo to let it pass, for the time being, and end the call on an upswing.

He would be extra careful, ever watchful, and stick to his plan to dodge all the bullets and get the job done. So tucking away all his reservations so that he could examine them later enabled Duo to work his way to the next item on his "to do" list.

Because of the time differential on the L2 colony, Duo trusted now would be a fine time to contact his old pal, Howard.

(o)

There was a time when Howard was afraid his burglary occupation was on the way out. Cameras. Sticking on poles or hidden in artificial flowers. And not just those but all of it. Security. Tracking. Records on everything. Global Positioning. Radio chips you could swallow. It was getting harder for old timers like him. And from his war experience, he was good at directing others. He had plenty of other marketable skills, like creating faux treasures, or knowing scientists who could and would for a price.

The war was over and he had at his beck and call plenty of youngsters with time on their hands and no idea how to market their meager skills.

"Howard," he told himself, "it is time you underwent a career change."

First, he brought along a younger generation already schooled in computers and the internet. Second, he sent a select few of his brightest to tech schools to get training in the latest and greatest. Duo Maxwell had risen to the top like cream on fresh, chilled whole milk. Duo had been his beacon of hope.

(o)

Howard was in a rush, so Duo had to put the questions to him fast.

"Fire away!"

"Um, okay. What do you know about copies of the Sanc crown jewels?"

"Everything. Next?"

"So, there are _bona fide_ copies?"

"Authentic replicas? Isn't that an oxymoron of the first kind? Ha, ha, hah!"

Duo played along with a forced chuckle. It was too early in the day for his humor to awaken.

"Of course," Howard went on to say, "I made them here in the laboratories. They are kept on display and the actual ones are secured…elsewhere. Anything else? Time is money, boy!"

"As you taught me," Duo said. "Okay, how about the framed art in the palace?"

"The real stuff is on display."

"Any of it copied?"

"Anything worth its salt was copied ages ago, and stored off site. Why do you want to know?"

"Just… checking what I was told." Duo felt much better having those facts confirmed.

Duo thought of something new. "I'm no expert. How can you tell the real ones apart from the fakes?"

"In this case it's rather simple." The man paused, waiting for Duo to urge him on.

"And?"

"A small hallmark—you'd have to hunt for it, because I often hid them—that's the letter '4' in the outline of a paw print."

"A '4' in a paw print?" Duo asked, puzzled to see any meaning or symbolism in the mark.

"You got it. Four paw. _Faux pas_? Get it? It's French for an embarrassing mistake."

"Oh. Yeah. Cute, Howie. You think of that?"

"All by myself." The man chuckled quietly. "I'm going to have to hurry you along now. I'm having a little trouble with a couple fences in the area. I need to bully them around a little, so, unless you have any other pressing questions?"

"None. You've been a great help. Thanks."

"You are welcome. Oh, just a minute. I knew I had a question only Duo Maxwell could answer."

That sparked Duo's curiosity. "Ask away."

"How's that local fence been for you?"

"Greg the Grifter? Great. He's given me some good deals. Seems fair, not too greedy, and he keeps a clean front that doesn't attract the cops. Perfect dealer of stolen merchandise. Thanks for that lead."

"Good to hear. Greg's just out on his own, but he's been in the pawn business with me a good while."

"That all?"

"You keeping your head above water?" Howard asked, his voice turning warm and concerned to Duo's ear.

"Never been better, actually."

"That's good. Real good, boy. I just think about you now and then, hoping you've found your way."

Howard had supplied Duo and other freedom fighters with weapons and technology beyond their means to pay for, and in return the young fighters had kept many of Howard's trade routes open and clear of Alliance troops. Duo and Trowa and to a lesser degree Wufei and Quatre had been his beneficiaries, but only Duo had failed to integrate himself back into a life without crime. The others all had had trades, skills, or education and a life to go back to; Duo only knew how to live off the streets and steal from the oblivious.

They chatted another five minutes and then signed off.

The next three items on his list were in the wrong order so he penciled in a couple arrows, altering the sequential arrangement of the items. "Talk to Trowa" only made sense in the afternoon, after conducting his other business. "TV contract" could wait. It was time to meet Wufei Chang's boyfriend.

Boyfriend? How did that arrogant ass attract a boyfriend? There was hardly enough "nice" in the guy to be a friend! Maybe it had more to do with his ass?-a thought he tried to bury immediately.

Well, then take the name "Mill". It didn't drum up any excitement in Duo. "Milquetoast" was what the name brought to mind. Both meanings worked for him. That of a weak, ineffectual person and of the sick-kid food he recalled from his orphanage years. Toasted white bread, buttered, broken up and served with hot milk. If he was lucky, there would have been a sprinkling of cinnamon and sugar on it. It made him shiver just to think about that crap ever having been a treat to him. And the name "Mill" continued to make him think of someone pale, bland and mushy.

On first meeting, Duo surprised himself by being right on one out of three of the descriptors.

The moment Duo entered the pastry shop that morning he felt a wave of déjà_ vu_. He'd never been in the shop, so it had nothing to do with the interior arrangement. Did the feeling of having been there before been due, in part, to the occupants, he wondered? But, no, one look around and he could see everyone there, which were few. Was that it, though? During the war he had visited the occasional coffee shop, and many had been empty of patrons, or mostly so; people scared to go out or away fighting or too poor for entertainment. Maybe it was that?

Duo counted two people working inside and a couple seated at a single table far from an open window, one Wufei.

"Over here!" the Chinese man said to him.

Duo turned at the sound of the door closing and being locked behind him. He felt a chill run up his spine. The young lady who had locked the door wasn't looking at him. She hung a "closed" sign in the door window.

"What'sup?" he immediately asked.

Wufei was still standing. "Sit down and I'll explain."

Duo took his time strolling over, keeping his eyes on the other man sharing the table. He had to be the boyfriend, Mill. The corner of Duo's mouth quirked upwards. Milquetoast. He was pale skinned, but not bland at all. Stunningly handsome with an air of breeding, Duo thought, with plenty of admiration for the man's physical beauty, and guessed that he must have been tall, because seated he wasn't much shorter than Wufei at full height. Duo estimated him at six and one half feet. Imagining the two in bed with that height discrepancy brought a grin to his face.

He held out his hand. "Hi, I'm Duo."

"Hello. Call me Mill."

They shook hands briefly.

When Mill removed his wool cap, a long platinum braid uncoiled and flopped over his shoulder and onto the table. He brushed out his long bangs with his fingers and looked up as he whipped his braid to his back. "Forgive me. Hair does not belong on the table where we eat, but it was very uncomfortable the way it was."

As Duo watched the transformation, it made him smile and remark, "I understand completely." He removed his own cap and uncoiled his own long braid.

They shared smiles.

Wufei tugged at his shorter ponytail with exaggerated ease. "I'm always comfortable."

"Aren't we a pair?" Mill said to Duo.

Duo laughed and noticed how Wufei suddenly looked less comfortable and more pole-up-his-ass than he had just a moment ago.

Duo was struck by another sense of déjà vu, far stronger, enough to make him feel woozy. This time he was certain it had to do with this man he just met. There was something eerily familiar about the man, and then it dawned on him. Mill was Prince Milliardo, who Duo had had a fleeting glance of the day he'd met Heero, but there was something he was missing yet.

Wufei suddenly had a grip on his shoulder and an earnest expression on his face. "Duo? Are you all right?"

"Get the poor fellow some water," Mill said with a crisp gesture to a waitress.

"I'm okay. Maybe it's too early for me." Duo shook his head.

"Would you please bring us fresh coffee, and a cup for this young man, too?" Mill asked the water-bearer.

After a few sips of ice water followed by a few scorching sips of coffee, Duo seemed better. Wufei judged him to be well enough to eat and ordered a variety of pastries, rolls, and spreads.

"Okay, so you are who I think you are, right?" Duo asked the tall blond.

"If you mean the Prince of Sanc, then yes." Mill cast a look in the direction of the kitchen and smiled more. "Good. I need a croissant this morning."

"And you're new in the title. How's that been for you?" Duo asked, actually curious about the man.

"An adjustment." He acted as if that was all that needed to be said.

"Why don't you tell him a little about yourself?" Wufei urged his boyfriend.

"I like ties," Mill said, turning a wry smile toward his boyfriend.

"You do?" Duo asked, amused, thinking bondage ties, and turned to smirk at the stuck up Chinese man.

"That's not at all what I meant," Wufei moaned.

"Oh, let him tell!" Duo chirped. He was liking this not-so-stuffy member of nobility, even though in the back of his mind there was still this tiny cry of warning.

"Ever since I moved into my rooms at the palace, I have ordered ties via a catalogue that lists hundreds of varieties. This form of temptation should be illegal. Now that I can, I have a mind to do something about that."

He and Duo laughed, while Wufei shook his head and mumbled about ridiculous conversations.

"Oh, yeah! Outlaw them all! I'd do away with the strangulation devices, if it were me," Duo commented.

"I should, but I like them, you see. Not to wear! To look at and a little just to touch. I find I really only need four or five new ones, but as I order the count rises to three dozen. Every one sounds better than the last, and they are so cheap—"

Duo barked out a laugh to that. "Compared to houses, yeah."

"Yes, well, it doesn't seem right to deny myself the pleasure of owning them just because I have no room to spare in my armoire."

"Oh, surely you can fit an extra six dozen ties in somewhere! Put in a new addition?" Duo said, bringing the two of them to raucous laughter.

Wufei clicked his tongue and pushed things around on the table to make room for all the food he'd ordered. "That's enough stupid talk."

"Don't be jealous, love." Mill reached over and dragged the smaller man onto his lap. There was a little scrap- Wufei poking and slapping yet completely being over-powered by his patient, willful boyfriend- and in the end Wufei allowed and endured a mind numbing kiss and then resettled himself in his chair.

"Hmmm," Mill said with a lick of his lips. "I might have to try the raspberry filled Danish, to go along with my delicious, buttery Chinese, pardon, I mean croissant-."

Wufei's face turned scarlet, the heat of embarrassment threatening to burn blisters.

"As nice as this all is," Duo said waving a hand at the laden table. "There's some serious business to go over. And I'm gonna start by putting a stop to any plans Wufei here has to involve you, and then follow that up with a thanks, but no thanks, nice to meetcha, and catch you later."

Duo stood and finished off the last scrap of a roll with a swig of coffee.

"I know all about your plans and I want to help." Milliardo motioned for Duo to sit back down.

"You swore to keep this secret." Duo shot an accusatory glance at Wufei. "It's my call."

"I didn't tell him anything compromising!" Wufei declared.

"Gentlemen, please! Let me explain."

Duo shrugged. Why storm out so soon? There was more to eat and he could listen a little longer before emphatically telling them both "no!" "Okay. But make it quick."

"Relena and I feel we are, well, a princess and a prince from another time—a vanished age—but we are world-wise enough to notice we are in the wrong century." Mill gazed over Duo's shoulder into the distance.

"This is starting out like a long story I once heard: 'they were both aristocrats and unlike as they were alike'," Duo interrupted. "And I gotta short attention span. This is getting us nowhere. Sorry, prince, but-"

"Sit down!" Mill commanded and Duo dropped as ordered.

"Yes, sir, geez…"

Mill was an arid man, tall and spare with an authoritative bearing when pushed to reveal it.

"I am a military man first a prince second. The noble name Peacecraft," he shooed it away with his hand, "Isn't really mine. Oh, I'll admit my father had been a king, but the aristocratic formation he ascribed to was, to my mind, some Sanc nonsense my father meddled with. Nothing more. I wanted nothing to do with governing an out of date monarchy, or being groomed for the job, so at thirteen I exiled myself to the forces, reporting to a new general, tutored by the Duke, my father's brother, and whose wife, I believe, was my mother, but that's another story."

"And I'm sure one for a rollicking good time, but I haven't got time for—" Duo didn't get half up this time before Mills' expression forced him back into his seat. "Go on."

"It was the last I saw of my half-sister until very recently. Relena was reared as a coddled princess, and, so far, has avoided being married off to various men from good families that had known each other forever."

"That might have something to do with the fact that she's got a thing for gay guys who work for her and she shouldn't be interested in. Just my guess here, though."

This time it was Wufei who kicked his leg. "Listen!"

"What she and I have in common is a certain ruthless competence. The days of petty office politics and family connection as ways of getting things done are over. The forces at hand want to replace us. Out with old and corrupt and in with the new and equally dishonest. Now the issue is survival."

Duo stared into the grey eyes of the other man. "So you say."

"I do."

"You said you didn't want to be king, but here you are, parading about greeting the fawning crowd about to be crowned? I don't see where this conversation is going. Or how you help me."

"I don't want the crown for me. For Relena, and for her to set aside the power associated with it. She wants to pull Sanc into the future, remain a figurehead and put more government control into the people's hands."

"Which people? Lots of people wanna part of the action."

"You have heard of the New Alliance, certainly?"

Not them! If the prince was considering handing over control of Sanc to them, well, Duo knew his days in town would be numbered. There was no kingdom large enough to hold both the old enemies of the state and the New Alliance. The rebel fighters that had fled to or remained in the peaceful Sanc would be hunted down and eliminated. He was sure of it, because it had happened in other places. He narrowed his eyes and gripped the table, ready to fight or run for his life if it came to that.

"I've heard plenty," Duo said, "and dealt with the old organization."

"Nasty brutes, the original Alliance. I can assure you my knowledge of them exceeds yours."

Duo and Mill's eyes locked. There was something about the man, Duo thought, which had bothered him from the start. Military men, for sure, always rankled something in him like a festering sore spuming poison, but there was more to it that just that. Was it something in the pose, the bearing of the man? Not his face, that was new to him.

"Those are not the leaders we want in control," Mill said. Waiting a moment and then smiling again. "Do you recognize me yet? We did meet, indirectly, a few years ago under far less comfortable conditions."

Cover his face with a silver helmet, put him in battle, and Milliardo became the man Duo had known from the war as Zechs Merquise. But that man had died! Duo had been there and seen the enemy vehicle spin out of control and off the cliff and he had read the reports!

"Um, if you are who I think you are then you should be dead, which means," Duo's eyes widened in horror as his mind took the next leap, "you're a zombie!"

"Dear God," Wufei moaned, his head dropping to the tabletop.

The only one who thought the idea was funny was Zechs, who laughed. "I never thought of it that way!" With a pleading look in Wufei's direction, he asked, "You never said…if you minded."

Wufei twisted his head, still firmly planted next to his plate, and met the soulful stare with a constricted, beady-eyed glare of his own. "You are far too handsome to be a zombie, and you know it."

"Well, there you have it, Duo. You must be in error."

"Or maybe with you it works the opposite. You know, the mask covered up the falling apart bits of you face and then you died and came back all… fixed." Duo grinned with the knowledge of having figured it all out.

"That would explain things, don't you think, love?"

Wufei brought his arms up over his head, covering his ears, and moaned as he rocked back and forth.

"So," Duo turned serious in a flash. "What did ole Fei-man here tell you about our…plans?"

Mill raised a single, platinum eyebrow. "Only a bit about returning some art to rightful owners."

Duo nodded, urging him tell him everything he knew about the job.

"The paintings are real, but any are removed for cleaning or restoration, or to protect the delicate surfaces from wall paint or cleaning products, a reproduction is installed in its place so there are no telling empty spots. We remove the real pieces and put up the false, was my understanding. And I promised my dear Wufei that I would help carry anything he wanted in from or out to his company's vans, didn't I darling?"

Wufei lifted his head and gave one feeble nod and then returned to hiding.

Zechs patted his head affectionately and looked directly at Duo. "I'm completely at your disposal." He winked, causing Duo's scalp to prickle. "Professionally speaking, of course."

"Uh, huh." Duo gathered his wits a moment. The other man was fully aware of his attractiveness, Duo could tell, and was probably pretty effective at using it to distract others. Well, not _this_ man, Duo thought, not _this_ time. He was too finely attuned to tricks to let someone pull anything over on him. "You understand not everything is going to L5, just those things that belong to them?"

"Naturally." Mill's smile twisted to sly. "And the Sanc Kingdom can't _ceremoniously _return it to them because we acquired the art in trade for weapons prior to the war. I know my history, Duo."

"Okay, sorry, just making sure we're on the same wavelength here."

"We are. But why stop at pilfering a few paintings? I have security clearance throughout the palace, and all the government buildings of Sanc."

Was the man a mind reader or had Wufei slipped him a few stray pieces of forbidden information? Duo shot Wufei a sharp look, but the other man had curled in on himself and was worthless. "I'll be televised burgling the joint. That enough for you?"

Mill laughed as if he thought it was the funniest idea ever.

"Yeah, well, yuck it up all you want. I wanna think it all over. Chew over Zombie Zechs a bit and get back to you later."

What he wanted to do was talk things over with Trowa. If Mill/Zechs was on the level and trustworthy (was that even possible?) could he assist in the Treasury break-in?

Duo thanked one of the girls on his way out the door, and then heard the lock engage again behind him. That had been a very, very strange encounter.


	7. Sleight of Hand

Chapter Seven - Sleight of Hand

* * *

After shrewd deliberation, for his next course of action Duo chose to get the paperwork for the television company out of the way.

He was in the general area for starters.

What he _really_ wanted to do more was to see Trowa and tell him about Mill, but it was too early. Trowa was not a morning person. Duo wondered how he and Quatre would work that out between them? Quatre was on the go both morning and night; Trowa wasn't. Deciding that problem was not within his current scope of interest for the moment, Duo concentrated on what he wanted to achieve. If he wanted a tractable Trowa, one who wouldn't bite off his head, definitely after lunch would be a better time.

Certain that Trowa wouldn't be so pleased about incorporating Zechs Merquise into the plan, and especially having to work with him, how then was he to broach the subject? Could his friend ever come to trust that man?

When it came to Trowa, trust didn't come cheap.

Duo decided to bring Trowa his favorite take-out lunch from town and butter him up and then introduce the hard cash to seal the deal. Trowa was less critical when he had a little extra pocket-money.

Remembering the promises of ready money from the reality TV creators brought a smile to his lips. Trust may not come cheap, but luckily it could be bought. It certainly couldn't hurt his case, or himself, if he walked away from this meeting with some startup money. So, inspired by that pleasant feeling of anticipation, Duo stepped up his pace to get the contract out of the way.

The AOK Broadcasting Company legal offices were right downtown not a block from the sparkling glass towers of the Winner Corporation.

"AOK is a stupid name," Duo grumbled while waiting for the elevator to take him to the right floor. "Like everything's just hunky-dory and a-okay with them. Yeah? Well, why have a legal department, huh?"

He passed through the entry area on a path heading directly for the desk, where he expected to find stacks of documents awaiting his signature. But, no, it was not that simple. The desk secretary buzzed for one of the "partners" to "walk him through" the process.

"I shoulda called for an appointment," Duo apologized once he realized it was going to take longer than he'd expected. Then he remembered the manners Quatre had drilled into him and removed his cap. "Sorry, ma'am."

"It's no problem," the lady smiled. "Please, make yourself comfortable and someone will be right out. Would you like some coffee?"

"No, thanks," he said, taking a seat on the leather settee. He'd just become absorbed in reading an article on the love life of some leading starlet, when an attractive young woman greeted him by name.

"Hello, Mr. Maxwell. I'm Lucrezia Noin."

Not another blast from the past! Duo sat speechless at the sight of another enemy he'd fought.

"You still have that braid. I'm glad. It's so distinctive."

"Um, yeah. Still got it." He wiggled the tip in the air as proof as he thought of something intelligent to say. "So, you work for AOK?"

"Yes, I do. Shall we get on with getting you on board?" she asked.

Duo followed her to a bleak office more than happy to avoid conflict or talk of past conflicts. The happy feeling drained as he entered the room, though. Not being the office-worker sort of person, all rooms filled with nothing but tables, chairs and filing cabinets seemed dreary.

He listened as Noin described the purpose of each document and pointed to the line requiring his signature. He read and understood each page before signing and moving on to the next. No legal eagles for him! He didn't trust cops or lawyers, except to get him into jail. He'd spent two years taking on-line law classes and figured he could pass a bar exam, if he ever had the notion to go semi-legit.

It took forty-five minutes to go over all the documents and approve them.

"There you are," Noin exclaimed. She furnished him a folder to hold everything. "When you are ready, you are all set to withdraw money from your account."

"I have an account?" Duo had avoided banks, except to rob that one, which hadn't gone well.

"Yes, here. The cashier's office is open now, if you want, or you can do it all electronically. The instructions are on the last page, here." A neatly-trimmed finger nail indicated the exact paper, a new one.

"So, AOK's gotta bank?" Duo asked after scanning the paper. And then that one, too, passed into the folder.

"A cash reserve that acts as a credit union and is used for payments to actors in particular," she answered swiftly. "Your final payment will be deposited when—"

"When I've finished my role. I read that part. Thanks."

She smiled and held the collection for him to take. "I've enjoyed seeing you again, Duo Maxwell. And wish you luck in the realm of reality television."

"If I succeed in the _realm_ of TV land, it will be due entirely to my skill. Luck won't enter into it." To his mind, luck was more of a revolving door. To make the most out of the good times took _skill_.

On his way out, he hummed a merry little tune as he wrapped his braid under his cap. Yes, he was off to see a man about some moola. Getting paid upfront was a new thing and he liked it very much.

(o)

Oh, yeah. Trowa was pleased to see him and share lunch.

And, double yes, he was absolutely _delighted_ to get paid.

"I'll show you how the train cars have been fixed up," he offered, "And then we can eat."

Trowa rarely proposed anything and only showed off when performing under a tent to a roaring audience, so he must have been very happy, indeed.

"Circus is on schedule to be ready?" Duo asked. He'd approved of all Trowa's accomplishments, so far.

"Looks like it."

His friend had really come through for him. How many people did Duo know that would? He really had to rely on him for this and it was a little overwhelming to know Trowa had followed through so capably. His friend was resourceful and discreet and … Duo was touched.

"Thanks Tro' for, ah," Duo choked up a little, "for being my friend and all."

"Same here."

They sat and ate, both feeling a little embarrassed over that outburst.

Duo told him the story of his wild date with Heero as a spearhead into his proud announcement about finding the maps to the palace. Trowa listened, grunting or nodding at appropriate pauses. When he heard that Duo found maps of the layout and made copies, he slapped his friend on the back.

"Excellent!"

Trowa was as jubilant as Duo had ever seen him. Being in the money definitely suited the guy.

"Perfect!" Trowa grinned and folded his arms across his chest. "I have a printer here."

"To get hardcopy of the maps?" Duo asked. Duo had never seen him so outwardly excited, except when he'd talked about Quatre, and it was especially noteworthy that he was offering to do something _for_ him out of the goodness of his heart.

"Yeah. Use your phone to send them to me and I'll mess with them so the details stand out."

"Okay." Duo sent the photos he'd taken of the palace maps to Trowa and watched him pour over the pictures, enlarging, sharpening, and enhancing the lines.

"One of these is fuzzy, but the rest are fine. I'm printing…now."

Trowa and Duo put heads together over the maps.

"I don't see how there can be a hall from here to-" Trowa tried lining up two different maps, then turned one upside down. "There."

"It goes all the way to the treasury—OH!" Duo figured out what it was just as his friend did.

"Underground tunnel," they said together.

Trowa smiled and folded his hands together, leaving Duo to hold the maps. "It makes sense that there's a way to get the coronation things into the palace without having to go outside."

At which point, Duo wondered if this would help with another problem he'd thought up. "Quatre thought to hide the crowns in hat boxes and get them out with the clothes. Once I found out the real ones were in the treasury, I figured that plan was out."

"They'd be hard for me to hide on the train, and hat boxes would look out of place, but might not be too bad mixed with the costumes, if it comes to that."

"Thanks. Quatre will be disappointed not to get his sticky fingers on them, but the only other possibility is to take them from the treasury to the palace using this handy-dandy passageway."

"Sounds risky," Trowa said. "I don't like it. I have plenty to do moving everything else."

"I'm not crazy about anyone roaming the palace carrying the merchandise, except…" He paused before saying something he knew Trowa wouldn't like. "So, did I tell you Wufei has a boyfriend and I met him this morning?"

"No. Is it important?" Trowa asked in a tone of total disinterest.

"Well, yeah. Wufei wants to use him to move the art and rugs."

"And, what did you think of him?"

"That's complicated."

"Shouldn't be," Trowa told him.

So Duo told him who it was. "His name's Mill, as in Milliardo Peacecraft, Prince of Sanc."

"Fuck. Duo!" Trowa was on full alert status now.

"No chance." Duo let the joke soak in with only a turned-up lip to give it away.

Trowa let out a calming sigh. "Okay, so tell me what's bothering _you _most about him."

Think you can avoid telling me how you feel? No way, buddy boy, Duo thought. "I like the guy and wanna trust him. 'Fei sure does."

"You _want _to trust the prince?" Trowa's eyes shone green, the gold flecks giving way in the brighter light of mid-day. "So, he flirted with you?"

"Not really flirt, no. He made it clear that he's found his mate in 'Fei. Nah, we just clicked. He's dry as toast, hot as hell, plenty aristocratic, but earthy, too."

"You flirted with _him_ and he ignored you then."

"I did not _say_ that. There was no flirting involved."

"It was all business."

"Friendly chitchat and business, yeah."

"No cravings to strip him naked?"

"Trowa! I said no. I didn't have sex on the brain. I admired him, but most of the time I was trying to figure out where I'd seen him before."

Trowa nodded and concentrated on looping the rope he'd picked up. "And the guard took you all the way to the beach for fish and chips?"

"How did we switch over to him?"

"I'm getting to that. How was the date?" Trowa's gaze was steady and intense.

"I know it doesn't sound great, but it was. He took me to a fancy-ass place the first time."

"His choice?"

"Yeah, and I looked damned good, too."

"But you felt uncomfortable there."

"Pretty much. I couldn't read the menu, but he was cool about that."

"And so for the next he met you at a bar of your choice."

"That's right. He was okay eating there. That's when we showed up here at the circus."

Trowa smirked. "I remember."

Duo looked cross. "You intimidated him in some way."

"I did, but if he cares about you, it won't matter."

"I'd rather you become friends," Duo said glumly. At this point he realized that the end of the rope looked like a noose.

"We'll see. You haven't had sex?"

"Wh-what kinda question is that? Geez, Tro', I don't ask you stuff like that."

"Yeah, you do."

Duo just shrugged and looked away, content not to argue the point. He felt better when Trowa dropped the rope.

"You ought to do him. You can have my caravan tonight. Give me a call if you aren't coming."

"You are as pushy as…" But Duo decided to leave Quatre out of this discussion, "a goat or mule or… I don't know."

"Duo, the man's had opportunities, but hasn't taken them. He's been accommodating you to make you feel comfortable around him."

_He's been trying to impress me_, Duo filled in silently.

"You're thinking about him, not just thinking about sex day and night with any man on two legs-"

_That's right. Just Heero dreams._

"—meaning, you are dangerously close to becoming… involved. So, get the sex out of the equation."

"First it's 'do it, Duo', and now it's 'get it out of the equation'? Make up your mind!"

"You're not listening right. I mean, putting off the sex just makes him want you more. Take _away_ that…exciting anticipation and maybe there's nothing left. That's all."

Duo straightened. "You think once he's... he's _had_ me he'll just move on? Is that what you think?"

"Would that be so bad?" Trowa looked away into the distance, working his jaw before saying more. "If he was an Alliance soldier, and he catches you robbing the palace, after he arrests you, he will come down so hard on you that- what?"

Duo's drawn brows relaxed and a smile spread across his face. _Heero coming down on him…hard._ "_Now_ you got me thinking about sex."

Trowa shook his head and turned away, his eyes tracking something in the distance. "Fine. The offer's still open and the suggestion still stands."

"It probably won't happen. I think he's more caught up in his job than me, which is just as well."

"Could be, but then he'd be stupider than I reckoned. Listen, thanks for the pay and the food. Cathy's waving. I'm needed."

"Okay."

"We'll talk more about this prince character." Trowa gave him an intense, final stare in parting.

"Yeah, we will. But it's my job, my call," Duo reminded him.

"I know. Think about my offer."

"Later," Duo promised. If he could bring himself to tell his friend that the prince was also a man they fought against during the war, Zechs Merquise, then he'd do it.

"Yeah, later."

And so they parted still friends. Duo wasn't humming but he felt pretty good. While waiting for the bus, he thought back over his meeting with the prince. He'd mentioned his security clearance for a reason, and now Duo wondered if Mill had authorization to enter the treasury and, if he did, would Mill help emptying it?

It would mean another meeting with the man and then getting him and Trowa in the same room together for one final planning session. Wouldn't that be fun?

Suddenly, facing Heero with an armload of hot merchandise was sounding more attractive. So good, in fact, that he called Heero.

"Hey, 'Ro? Busy?"

"I just left a party-planning meeting. Your name is on the invitation list. Does that surprise you? It surprised me."

"Life's full of surprises, which gets me to my point pretty fast. Would you like to get together tonight?"

"I can't… It would have to be late."

"Late's fine."

"Where?"

"I have access to a _private_ place." Duo hoped he'd made his intention clear. He didn't think he could spell it out over the phone. 'Romantic tryst' sounded archaic and anything else his mind came up with sounded degrading for some reason.

"Ah, sounds…um…all right. Good! I'll call and pick you up?"

"Oooh! Another motorcycle ride!" Duo crowed.

"Yes."

"Great! Later!"

"Bye, Duo."

(o)

The remaining payout from the TV company, in the form of checks, were burning a hole in Duo's pants. Giving his earnings away, hard-earned or not, was not in Duo's makeup, but it was a sure way to oil the machinery that was going to make his plan work. Trowa was satisfied with his payment, and Duo expected Wufei wouldn't turn down his.

He called ahead, resulting in Wufei greeting him at the back door to Chang Antiquities. Duo wasn't sure why Wufei never invited him to tour the shop, but he never did. Was it to preserve Duo's anonymity amongst the customers, or was he afraid Duo might scare off the customers? Did his friend not trust him to look and not filch? Or, what Duo most believed to be the case, was the Chinese businessman hiding something?

"I've poured tea," Wufei said with a pleasant smile. "Won't you come in?"

Duo handed over the pre-payment with a smile of his own. "Don't mind if I do."

Wufei took the offering with a reverent little bow. "The crates have been modified according to the size and shapes of the baubles to be stored. Would you like to see one?"

"Oh, yeah, I would."

An external examination would show nothing unexpected. Entry to the hidden compartments would require removal of the painting or an understanding of Chinese puzzle boxes. Wufei demonstrated how with a series of pushes here, slides there, and press-and-glide over and out, an entire side of a crate could be opened to reveal cushioned compartments.

"'Fei, I am impressed. How did you get this done so fast? No, don't tell me. Man… Wowzer! This is… truly a work of art in and of itself." Duo had found the words to assuage the other man's pride.

Wufei smiled a highly satisfied smile. "Thank you. There's a little exhibit inside that might interest you as well?"

"Sure! Lead on!" Well, well, well… the prime treatment all of a sudden? Why hadn't he thought of lining the pockets of his friends and co-workers with money earlier? Except for the fact that he rarely had any to spare even a thought to. _Sigh._

Duo expected the shop to be dark and littered with hundreds of prints and framed art. It was, instead, well lit with thick carpeting underfoot, and tens of framed oil paintings dotting the walls, which were erected in a labyrinthine configuration.

"I'm lost!" Duo called out from the bowels of the design.

Wufei tut-tutted him off and told him to follow the yellow brick road back.

To Duo's surprise and delight, there was a semblance of a gold path in the rug's pattern which did steer him to the outlet.

"I hadn't noticed the design in the carpet going in," Duo laughed.

"Because you weren't looking at your feet."

"No, I was looking at the porn. Your choices in art are intriguing."

"It's being changed out later today, but I thought you'd appreciate the taste of this particular artist." Wufei poured the last of the tea and gracefully balanced on the edge of a stool. "Gay subject matter is so common, but these oils showcase an evolved eye for composition."

"Yeah, well, the model's hot, too." Duo waved off the rest of the tea party. "Thanks for the refreshments, but its time for me to toddle on."

"Have you made a decision about Mill? It alters my plans dramatically if I can't utilize him."

Duo smiled at that, figuring Wufei utilized his boyfriend just fine as it was. He didn't say anything, though, because he knew his friend hadn't a sense of humor about his private life. "I have not, but I'm hoping to meet with him tomorrow for the purposes of asking a few questions, but mostly… there's another person who might not be so happy."

"I thought Mill's inclusion would be on a need-to-know basis only!"

"Oh, it is or I wouldn't be inviting him."

Wufei turned away. "You'll let me know?"

"Right after I know, okay?"

Wufei nodded a single curt dip of his chin, and Duo departed to meet with another client, war buddy, and friend.

(o)

"You saw Trowa? A-again?" Quatre's voice cracked.

Duo did not, however, feel sorry for the guy this time. "Quatre, you can go see him anytime, just like I do. I don't wait for an invitation."

"I just might do that!" Quatre flipped through his electronic schedule. "I wonder if tonight-?"

"But not tonight," Duo said. "Heero and I are staying there."

"Who?" Quatre asked innocently, and then his expression changed. "Heero _Yuy_?!"

Duo nodded. "You've met him?" Of course he had! He was with the princess at the conference, idiot!

"_Heero_ and you?" Quatre choked and coughed. "Is this the Heero Yuy who is Relena's top security guard? The one that shadows her everyplace she goes?"

"Um… yeah. Didn't I tell you about him?"

"NO! No, you haven't mentioned anything about him and now suddenly you are planning to run away to the circus with him and… and stay with Trowa!"

"No! Not _with_! It's more kinda just us. He's sorta lending us his caravan."

"But why? You can't really take it anyplace—oh! Oh! Duo!"

From the look on his friend's face he wasn't sure if he was about to slap him or cuddle him. Duo held up a hand to block whichever was coming his way.

"It's so dangerous for you!"

"I fly in the face of danger," Duo joked. But seeing that his friend wasn't smiling he tried to reassure him. "I don't know if anything will happen. I'm not sure what Heero wants, well, I'm pretty sure he's game to fool around, but I'm not sure what all will happen. I'd rather not speculate, okay?"

Quarter hugged him lightly. "All right. He is a dish, I'll grant you that. But—"

Duo stopped him with a combination "don't hurt me" and "say nothing against him 'cause I've heard it all before" look.

"-But I wish you luck," the blond finished.

"Thanks, man."

Duo disentangled himself from his friend's well-intentioned but clingy grasp and moved on. When he offered his friend his check for services rendered so far, Quatre turned it down.

"It's unnecessary, Duo, but thank you. Give it to your favorite charity, all right?"

"I can do that."

Duo proceeded to tell him things were going as planned, more or less. "I have another person to bring on board and… it's a tough call."

"Who is it? Maybe I can help?"

"Maybe you can. Lemme think about it and I'll let you know. I'm planning a little meeting of the minds tomorrow and if it goes okay, I'll call you in. I may just pass on the guy and then I'd just be wasting your time."

"I'll make time for you," Quatre promised.

"So how are you doing?" Duo asked. He couldn't think of what it was he needed to tell him and hoped by the time he finished chattering about his accomplishments, he would remember.

"The party is creating security nightmares, I've heard. Poor Heero! We're giving him so much trouble."

It would give him some tense muscles Duo would have to work out later with some loving.

"—especially when he heard about the formal photo shoot! '

"Whatzat?"

"The press has been promised a picture of the Prince and Princess of Sanc in their crowns! This will be the last time they'll be wearing those, because Milliardo's coronation is planned for- What is it, Duo?"

"Crowns! That was what Trowa had mentioned. He's gotta problem if they are stored in treasury building and you want them."

"He has?"

"Not that he wants them, mind you. Don't let me give you the wrong impression. He's not greedy. He just can't walk them over to the palace while unloading the gold. He definitely isn't prepared to store them on the train. He made that clear. And- what?"

"He's stealing the Sanc government's gold reserve?"

Aw, shit. Those watery blue eyes should be outlawed, along with ties.

"No, no, no. Not at all. It's all part of a bigger thing. I shouldn't said all that outta context. What I meant was just to assure you that he wasn't after the crowns and that moving them from the palace or from the treasury wouldn't be done by him. That's all. Really. Just forget about the gold for now."

"Hmm," Quatre frowned. "I don't want him to get into trouble, Duo."

"I won't let that happen. Got it covered. Promise." Hope to God I keep that promise.

"Oh, all right. I trust you. For now. As for the crown situation, I'll give that some thought. One pair will be in the palace for the shoot, but the more valuable ones won't be and _that_ is a problem."

"Yeah, well, it's the least of my worries, which give you a hint of the immensity of my problems."

"You don't look overly concerned to me."

Duo wondered how he should look and crossed his eyes. "How's this?"

His friend giggled. "You're silly." His smile grew sly. "Oh, you are thinking of tonight, aren't you?"

To the detriment of everything else, Duo was about to admit. "I'm losing my concentration. Details are slipping away."

Quatre's hand on his arm got his attention. "I'd trade places with you any day. Oh! If it were Trowa instead of Heero!"

"Yeah." Duo wished there was something more he could do to bring his two friends together faster. Trowa seemed to believe that he needed the success of this job before moving forward. So, if completing the job would build Trowa's self-confidence and bank account, then there was nothing but doing his part well and right that could hurry things along.

"Don't worry about me, Duo. Have a good time and call me later when you have decided about a meeting. I'll like to meet with everyone on the job."

"Thanks. I'll keep in touch."

Don't let the revolving door of life slap you on the ass on your way out, Duo my boy!


	8. Tricks of the Trade

Chapter Eight – Tricks of the Trade

A/N: This is a little short, but it ended where it felt right. I promise the next chapter will make up for it!

* * *

Duo waited until the cycle came to a complete stop at the curb before stepping out of the shadows. The motor purred. He strode up to Heero and took the helmet he offered with a clipped, "Hi," for greeting.

"Where to?" Maybe Heero questioned his abruptness, and maybe he was just as wary of Duo's "private place" proposal, but from where Duo stood the guard didn't seem to be exploding with excitement.

"Circus?" Duo felt hesitant now that Heero was here. What is Trowa was right and this would mark the beginning of the end for them?

"Climb on."

"Nothing to lose, then," Duo said too low to be heard over the roar of the engine. He wouldn't let his nerves get to him. Obviously, Heero wanted something or he wouldn't have come, and the same could be said of him, too.

Without a fortuneteller, there was no way to predict the future. Just live through it. Couples came and went all the time. There was no telling. "If one more corny cliché comes to mind, I might puke," Duo muttered into the wind.

They entered the circus property and were stopped at the gate. Duo gave the man on duty Trowa's name. The uniformed guard placed a call, Duo guessed to Trowa.

"Barton says you're cool. You know where you're going?" the guard asked.

"Yep!" Duo waved and they slowly putted over the gravel path.

Heero cut the motor when they reached the living quarters, and they walked on either side of the motorcycle. "This place is huge. I never thought about the number of people it takes to keep a circus going."

"It's like a separate village inside Sanc," Duo agreed. "A very, very strange one. Here's the place."

Now that they were there, just the two of them, standing at the door to Trowa's caravan, he'd run out of small talk. Heero didn't seem to have an endless supply either.

While Duo fumbled in his pocket for the spare keys, Heero looked over the mobile home. "Compact. Is this your friend's home?"

"Yeah, fuck!" Where had he put Trowa's keys? He tested the door handle, making sure it actually was locked. It was. "Gimme a moment here." He felt for the thin wire tool in his braid, found it, and picked the lock in seconds. "There we go."

Heero didn't move. "That's breaking and entering." Strike one.

"Not if he said we could stay here. It's… more of an emergency key."

He hadn't convinced Heero. "Okay, I'll call him and you can ask, if that will make you feel better."

"Not knowing how easily you broke in would make me feel better," Heero grumbled but he did listen in to Duo's call.

"Did I forget to give you the key?" Trowa asked.

"No, you gave it to me, I remember that, but I can't find it now," Duo said.

"Huh. Sorry. Tell your law-abiding friend there you're clear to go in."

"You tell him," Duo said and handed the phone over to Heero.

"It's okay," Trowa told him. "Be nice and give the guy a break, officer."

"I'm not a law enforcement officer," Heero told him.

"Then stop acting like an asshole," Trowa retorted and hung up.

Heero returned the phone to Duo. "He said to have a nice day."

Duo smiled. "He did? Huh. Let's go in, then, okay? I mean, I'm game if you are. Um, you want to, don't you?"

God, he felt so insecure! For a second, he wanted Heero to say "no, let's go back." He felt that unsure.

But instead, Heero snapped out of his serious mood immediately and smiled. "Yes."

After that rough beginning, Duo looked forward to a smooth move onto the bed and into some action, and Heero seemed ready to fall into that plan nicely. He flipped on the light switch and a dim bulb glowed a sulfurous hue and then continued to flicker intermittently.

"Light is unimportant," Heero said, graciously.

As the two moved to embrace, Duo tripped over something soft on the floor and landed on his rear with a shout.

"What's all over the place?" he yelled. "Trowa's not a neatnik, but he puts his clothes away."

Heero picked up a sock, studying it closely a moment, probably to identify it. "He has an odd method of organizing his clothes. Look over here. He's failed to put anything in a drawer, and he doesn't bother to sort his socks into pairs or organize them apart from his shirts at all."

Duo shook his head. "It's not like him."

"Maybe," Heero continued, undeterred by Duo's doubts, "that way he can always find some socks to wear, not matching, but look in any place and there one is?"

"Heh," Duo forced himself to chuckle at the weak joke. First the key then the light and now the mess. Trowa's hosting skills were suspect, at best. "Not places so much as piles, I'd say."

He pushed aside a few roughly stacked piles to make a path to the bed-turned-couch. He thought Trowa could have at least picked up a little more and would it have killed him to fix up the bed for him? Duo wasn't so sure he knew how to work the mechanics.

"Yes, piles are a correct way to describe the way he organizes his clothes."

Duo fell onto the couch with Heero right behind him.

"Cozy place," Heero commented.

"Yeah, I don't get it. He usually keeps things neat here and I don't get why it's so crowded with crap."

"I like how the light makes your hair look," Heero said softly.

"Oh? Thanks." He heard the shuffling of Heero's feet, and something else. "I betcher wondering why I brought you here?"

"I may have figured it out." Heero smiled. "I have a few ideas of my own."

"Huh?" Duo turned his head just so and Heero's hand caught his chin.

He sat poised, ready to make a move if Heero thought better and tried to let go or back away.

But Heero did no such things.

He brought their lips together, light and hesitant. Duo closed his eyes and remained still, waiting for more, so Heero kissed him more, boldly pushing his tongue past Duo's teeth and caressing.

Duo started forgetting where they were and all the little annoyances, when there was a knock on the door. He jumped a foot and nearly knocked Heero's teeth out. "Ahhh! "

A woman's voice called from outside the caravan. "Hello? Are you there?"

Heero looked from the door to Duo.

Duo leaped a pile of junk and unlatched the door. He opened it to see a familiar face. "Cathy?"

"Trowa told me you might be here tonight with a … friend."

"And you wanna meet him?" Duo knew she was curious but he hadn't suspected her to be so nosy.

"I'd love to!"

As she stepped inside the crowded caravan, Duo noticed that she was toting a heavy cauldron.

"Can I carry that for you?" he asked.

"Oh, yes, thank you, Duo. I brought you some soup, you know, in case you missed dinner."

Duo shuddered, recalling other wretched soups of hers he and Trowa had forced down. "Thanks. I'll leave it on the stove for later."

Heero bowed, it was easier than trying to reach around Duo, and said hello. Duo did the quick introductions and maneuvered Trowa's sister back outside—all in under a minute. As he closed the door, he got a whiff of something awful just as Heero coughed and dropped the lid down onto the soup pot.

"My God!" Heero coughed some more. "She's trying to poison us!"

"No, but you'd think so," Duo said. "There's a fan over the stove someplace. If I could see better—"

"D-Don't move!" Heero whispered hoarsely. He had an arm wrapped around Duo's waist. "Shhh… Lower your arm slowly and step back when I do."

Duo clamped his mouth shut, with trouble, and did as he was told. He didn't ordinarily snap to and follow orders, but there was an element of urgency in the guard's voice made him obey without question.

"There," Heero pointed up above the pot.

Coiled around the exhaust fan was a gold and black snake. Its tongue flicked out. Duo stared at it. "Never knew Tro' kept a pet."

Duo caught a glint of metal, determined it was a gun, that Heero had come packing, and caught his breath. "Don't shoot!"

"I'm shooting it… not you!"

"No shooting at all! Fuck, 'Ro! It'll put a hole in the wall here. Geez… You broughta gun along? On a…a… date?" Sort of a date.

"I always carry a gun."

"You didn't the first time I brought you here."

"It wasn't night." Then he smiled adding, "and maybe I felt there was a threat this time?"

"Put it away. Not necessary. Look, little snaky goes in here." He motioned toward an aquarium. "See? When I shoved a pile, I musta knocked the lid loose."

Duo reached up and grabbed the snake behind its head. He heard a hiss, but it was behind him. He snapped shut the cover and turned around to see Heero gaping at him.

"What's wrong?" But then, he thought, what hasn't gone wrong might take less time to discuss.

"You _touched_ it!"

"The snake? Yeah."

"It could have been poisonous! You might have been bitten!"

"No way. Trowa wouldn't keep a dangerous snake in a cabin this small—" Duo's confident remark was cut off by a drawn-out, pitiful squeak. "Oh, boy—"

"Cover it up!" Heero shouted, throwing a t-shirt at the aquarium as he squeezed shut his eyes.

All the color fled Duo's face as he watched the reptile's fangs pump poison into a tiny grey mouse. "Huh. I guess the snake was dangerous. "

Duo flipped over a little name tag attached to the outside of the glass. "Oh. Sorry, Squeaky."

"Squeaky? Trowa has…_had_ a pet mouse?" Heero asked.

"Guess so."

"You don't think that woman brought in the snake with the soup?" Heero asked.

"Poison us one way or the other? God, I don't think so, but, man…" Duo shook his head. "This isn't working out like I'd planned at all."

Heero smiled though. "Your plan wasn't to lure me here and kill me?"

From Heero's expression Duo could tell Heero was joking and he laughed, breaking the tension. "Heh, heh, that would be pretty stupid of me. Such a waste of hot manhood. "

Duo wrapped his arms around Heero and kissed him hard. Their rough cheeks scraped together like sandpaper, but the heat from the other man, the male scent charged his libido. He ground his hips into Heero's to let him know how aroused he was and felt the other man's hardness along his thigh.

"That's not your gun, is it?" Duo asked with a sly smile.

"No," was the brief reply. "Door locked?"

"Yeah, animals secured, hatches closed," Duo said mimicking the same light tone Heero had used. "Gimme a second to get us a little more room here."

He removed the couch cushions, yanked at the frame, with no results unless he counted the scrape to his knuckles. He crawled under the framework and pounded a little, but, again, to no avail.

"Need a hand?" Heero asked.

"Something's stuck. I've never really seen it in action, but I know this turns into a bed."

He worked at it a little more before standing in a huff, braid grey with dust bunnies, and the couch stubbornly still a couch.

Heero handed him a cushion. "We'll make the best of it."

"Ugh."

"It's not worse than my cot in the barracks," Heero said, now smoothing his hands over Duo's back and shoulders, easing the tight muscles with his strong fingers.

"Oh… that feels nice," Duo said.

They sank onto the couch, Duo mostly on the bottom with his posterior to the back and Heero mostly on top and balanced close to the outer edge.

"See? We fit." Heero's lips silenced any argument to the contrary Duo might have come up with.

Duo felt the blood rush to his face as his mind took that comment in a different way, fitting them even more perfectly. A warm hand worked its way under his shirt, and let in cool air. Goosebumps blossomed over his skin and he shivered.

When Heero chuckled low and rumbly, Duo felt it all the way to his groin. He either had to speed things up or explode with need. There didn't seem to me any middle ground! He located a shirt button and began unbuttoning from the bottom up. As fresh skin was revealed, he investigated the new territory. It didn't take him long to have Heero sitting up, ripping the shirt off.

"Oh," Duo moaned at the sight of that hard chest and expanse of honey-hued skin. With effort, he sat up enough to pull his arms loose and help Heero remove his shirt. His interest lay in tasting that skin, running his tongue over the ups and downs, the ins and outs, and discovering all the other man's sensitive places.

Heero didn't seem to mind the passionate attack on his body. Either that or he was very good at hiding his feelings.

The two men tussled to gain ground and position, but there was no winner or loser. It was all for the good.

Duo found himself crushed into the cushions, his mouth free to gurgle encouragement as Heero's lips worked magic on first one nipple and then the other. His bucking and squirming for more contact got the message through because Heero began on his jeans zipper. Finally!

Heero trembled, then shivered, and then stopped his advances. "I feel a draft. I don't remember leaving a window open, do you?"

Duo felt lucky to remember his own name. "No."

"Just a minute. I'll get that fan, then." Heero started to get up. "Duo, I won't be long. Let me go."

"I'm not holding on to-!"

No, Duo wasn't holding him, but an appendage had snared a hank of Heero's hair!

"Then, what the-?" Heero batted away at the tough, grey skin. "What the fuck is it?" he shouted.

Duo lit from the couch and hammered on what he could see. "It ain't a snake!"

"It spit on me!" Heero cried out.

The elephant pulled its trunk back out through the window and trumpeted its annoyance.

"Jesus Christ!" Duo yelled.

Adding to the substantial Pachydermata horn section, were hysterical shrieks, which Duo likened to that of a wild banshee, but turned out to be those of a primate. The nimble-fingered monkey deemed a closed but not padlocked window was as good an invitation to open and enter as any, and dashed into the caravan.

"The FUCK!"

Heero ducked as it leaped over his head to the table. "Trowa knows how to have a good time here, I suppose. Do you think it wants the soup?"

"Who knows-? God, don't let it open the snake cage! Get rid of it!" Duo hollered at the monkey.

The animal screamed furiously when Heero thwarted its attempts to free Squeaky-eater.

Heero opened the door and hauled the stinky soup pot outside and carried it some distance away. The monkey scrambled after him and hopped onto the lid the moment Heero turned away. "Enjoy," Heero said. "Better you than me."

Duo had the window closed and secured and was standing backlit in the doorway with his disheveled braid over a shoulder by the time Heero returned. "I am so sorry," he said, and then added in a low grumble, "to quote a friend."

Heero smiled and shrugged. "Life is exciting when I'm with you."

Duo peered out from under his bangs. "Do you really want to try again?"

"Well, yeah." Heero took Duo's hand and hopped up the steps and back inside. "I'm a little concerned about what's coming next, though. Things are getting bigger each time."

Duo smiled and played along. "Yeah, next could be a whole troop of clowns."

Heero froze, shirt in hand. "I hate clowns."

He sounded intense, so Duo put on his sweetest smile. "Ah, yeah, well, I was just kidding," Duo said, softly, like he was gentling a cornered rat, something he'd had plenty of experience doing. "You're going?" Well, of course he is, you fool!

"On the way in, we passed a motel with a vacancy sign." Heero smiled and offered Duo a shirt to put on. "My treat?"

"Sure."

"Don't feel bad," Heero told him as they closed and locked the door to the caravan. "I don't blame you and it was hot, up to a point."

"And which point was that?" Duo grumbled. "Before or after the wild animal invasion? 'Cause _during_ I was too busy trying not to piss my pants to notice the hot part."

A warm arm rubbed across his shoulders. "You make me hot all the time," Heero said. He pulled them hip to hip and leaned over for a kiss.

It felt so good to be held and desired and kissed and…

"I'll need both hands to hold this." Heero let him go to take the weight of his bike and straighten it. "Steady there!"

"I'm okay," Duo assured him, and he was as long as he could lean on Heero a little. He'd heard the term "weak in the knees," but to actually have his legs go all rubbery? This was a first.

So he leaned and Heero supported and the two men slowly walked the motorcycle to the roadway.

Duo's head was spinning, a little from the caravan fiasco, but mostly from the man at his side and the kiss. Could _not_ overlook the kiss. And the feeling of Heero's strong hands on his sides, over his ribs, down to his hip bones. He wanted to chew over that one comment, the one that contributed to his joints turning to jelly: "You make me hot all the time." Better yet, he should print it and tack it over his bed at home and drool. As a result, he didn't register another voice coming on the scene on a crash course.

It was Heero who stopped. "Isn't that your friend? What's he wearing?"

"Hey!" Trowa called.

"A workout suit." Duo answered the question and shook his head at the greeting. He recognized Trowa's voice first and then the man even though he was in his flying trapeze costume, tight and revealing. "And Quatre misses it all," he muttered to himself.

"You're leaving?" Trowa asked when he drew near.

Duo barricaded his way with a dark expression and annoyed folded-arm stance. "I don't wanna start with you."

Trowa held out his hands. "What's the hurry?" He looked innocent as a baby lambkins.

"Oh, I don't know… maybe, getting the hell outta this zoo where we can get some peace and quiet?" Duo snapped.

"Where have you been?" Heero asked the circus guy, sounding like a cop.

"I have friends to bunk with," Trowa answered him, nebulously but calmly. "Something wrong?"

One thing Duo had developed in his line of work was the ability to read a lot about a person with just a glance or two. This time Duo caught a glimmer in his friend's visible eye. A glint of something secret, a guilt worthy of hiding behind his long bangs that made Duo doubt Trowa's blameworthiness. Could it have been Trowa's doing, this spoiling of Heero and Duo's "first time" together? After all the warm fuzzies Duo had felt for his friend earlier, he wondered if this might test the friendship.

He listened as Heero mentioned the high point.

Trowa nodded, "Yeah, it's just a normal night at the circus. I'll go track down the loose animals now."

"It is?" Heero said. "Duo, it's possible that because he lives here, he might not realize what an effect it would have visitors."

"It's never been like this when I've been here," Duo pointed out.

"Remember the time you were dancing and the caravan started to roll away?" Trowa asked.

"Oh, yeah, well. It can be more fun than a barrel of… forget it." Duo started to hunt in his pockets for the key to return, but then remembered having to break in. Oh, no… He just figured out that Trowa must have used a slight of hand to take away the key and not really have given it to him. "Hey!"

"—and I apologize about the mouse," Heero was in the middle of saying. "A casualty?"

Duo held up a hand before Trowa could reply. "There's no Squeaky. There never was a Squeaky, was there? No, I never knew you to keep vermin for pets. Not when you could play with the big cats."

"Squeaky is a boa constrictor. I was taking care of it until its owner was back in town. Did it finally eat that mouse?"

"Duo, calm down." Heero patted his back. "It means we aren't responsible for harming a pet."

"What if I'm responsible for strangling a damned clown?" Duo glared at Trowa with his hands in tight fists. "I coulda died! I just grabbed it and stuffed it in the cage!"

Trowa shook his head. "Boas are not poisonous, Duo."

It was the supercilious tone used that got to Duo the most.

Heero seemed more interested in the animal than the incident, though. "They're not?"

Trowa launched into a comparative morphology and snake behavior lesson. Heero seemed very attentive to it, while Duo was seething. Trowa hadn't admitted being behind any of the tricks, but Duo knew he was. He didn't even want to hear his lame excuses. Duo wanted to kill him right there and then!

But what the hell was happening now?

Heero was laughing and slapping Trowa on the back like they were dear old friends. "Yeah, it was fun. C'mon, Duo. Let's get on with our plans for the night."

Duo shot Trowa a warning sneer, but the man just smiled serenely back. There wasn't time to deal with him. Heero had an expectant look.

"Duo?" Heero called again.

There was an upside and that was that Heero still wanted him and wanted to treat him to a nice time. Trowa, well, his problem with him he would settle out later. He felt a lot better about introducing him to his enemy in the past, Zechs Merquise, AKA the Prince of Sanc. He deserved to be shocked after setting snakes, his sister, monkeys, and elephants on him… and his damned dirty laundry!

"One sec!" He stopped in the middle of the roadway and sent a message to his prospective "team", giving them a time and place for the big meeting the next day. And then made a show of shutting off his phone.

"I'm all set."

Oh, yeah, Duo Maxwell was back in business!


	9. The Hands Are Faster Than the Eyes

Chapter Nine - The Hands Are Faster Than the Eyes

* * *

"I get the idea this is something different. Something big," the perky, petite young woman observed.

"It is, Miss Schbeiker. To begin with," Treize said, "It's a reality show." He smiled with the self-confidence of a man who would never run out of funding for his projects.

"Then I'm stumped. What do you need me for? I've only had a few bit parts in local plays."

"My lovely Lucrezia will explain it to you."

The tall, beautiful brunette said stepped away from the credenza where she'd been waiting. She frowned minutely. She preferred to be called Noin. The producer was her boss, not the man to correct, however. "Hilde, is it? We will follow a group of professional robbers as they execute an actual robbery."

Hilde cocked her head. "An actual robbery?"

"Not entirely," Treize admitted, smiling his secret smile.

Hilde crossed her arms over her chest. "If they don't do it, what's the show about?"

Noin stepped in again. "It will get done, but there's more to it than just that. Sensitive reasons we don't want them to know about."

Hilde glanced out the window as if contemplating her exit routes. "Uh, huh."

Noin said, "We don't want them to think we are hiding anything, but we want to know if they begin to figure out that we are."

"Oh, yeah? What's the secret?" Hilde looked interested.

"We're hiding it from you, too," Treize said.

Noin cast a warning look at him, and then said, "For your own good. That way, if they become suspicious, you won't actually know any more than they do, but you'll be right there with them, know what they're thinking, and pass it on to us."

"So I'm a mole," Hilde concluded.

She didn't seem to mind that until Noin showed her the contract with Maxwell's signature. "Tell them to pick someone else," the young woman said defiantly. "Duo's a good guy and I'm not going to hurt him."

"The reason we cast _you_," Treize said, one arm stationed along the window sill so he could gaze out of doors. "We were looking for a…person… he already knew and had worked with in the past, and who he would trust. A good solid actor would have been good, but we also required that this person has some little dodgy elements in his…her past."

Hilde once again scanned the room for exits. "I had a few wild times."

"What you have," Noin mostly assured her boss, "is just enough background to be plausible for our purposes."

Hilde huffed a little, but anyone could tell she was taking the job. Her clothes were just a little too frayed along the hems, her eyes looked a little too hungry, and an air of desperation clung to her as it did to Duo and all those living on society's edges. "You know, I don't emphasize that stuff on my resume."

"No, but you will be accepted on the team and can coach them to sell a scene, not stare into the cameras, be… real." Noin strode over to the desk to get a prepared contract.

"I'm gonna need legal protection here," Hilde demanded.

"Oh, absolutely," Noin told her. "Legal's already put together a contract addendum now, explaining what you're doing and why."

"That sounds good."

Noin smiled minutely. "And it protects us as well. We have invested a great deal in this…show and wouldn't…like… it if you jeopardized the deal."

Hilde could sense a threat in there someplace, but pretended not to. She had no plans to try double-dealing these characters. What they were paying her was good money. She'd find a way to not hurt Duo, though. She was bright and clever and would find a way.

"So, does Duo expect me or am I on my own to get him to take me on?" Hilde asked.

"You are on your own, and I suggest you get on it immediately." Noin handed her the contract and a pen and her card. "Call me if you aren't on board by the end of the week."

"Oh, I'll be on the team," Hilde said with a return of her confidence, helped along by the promise of her first paycheck in ages waiting for her at the cashiers. "Don't you worry 'bout that!"

(o)

After splitting up to go their different ways, Duo stood to watch Heero's receding back, holding onto him, mentally anyway, for as long as possible. The man was a masterful lover. He'd mastered Duo that was for sure. His feet floated above the sidewalk. His head was in the clouds. Let it rain! He didn't care!

Actually, it was a stupid, stupid thing to presume nature wasn't listening. Let it rain? Why that was like a challenge or a dare, and Duo knew better than to provoke the weather gods. Or he _would_ have had his mind been out of the bedroom.

Duo generally resented starting the morning without the chemical addition of caffeine. He resented this as a rule, just as his cat (not _his_ but an alley cat which he fed and petted) resented being on either side of a closed door. "But I just let you in and now you want out?!"

But this morning he was running in fine form without even a drop of coffee. A very quick bit of Heero-loving was all he required, it turned out, since their lovemaking had lingered on late into the night and now it was rather later in the morning than Heero could make it to work on time, so they were rushed.

The sounds of the city, the street, a car horn landed him back on earth. "Where was I?" Duo asked himself, correcting his question to, "Where am I?"

He'd been daydreaming again while on his way to meet his burglary team. Daydreaming _again_. He couldn't stop thinking, re-living his night with Heero. Not the snake, elephant, monkey part, but the stripped-naked-skin-on-skin-action later at the highway motor lodge.

_He'd barely crossed the threshold before Heero had the door shut and locked. He could hear the click of Heero's dress shoe heels on the bare floorboards moments before he felt his back smashed up against the door, pinned under the harder chest._

_Gone was the mild-mannered young man in the caravan. All that passion Duo had felt before in the palace closet returned. His wrists felt banded in steel clasped over his head, and he would have fought back had Heero's other hand not felt like a velvet glove sliding under his shirt._

_Whether the guy knew his strength or not, Duo reminded him that he was merely flesh and blood and wanted to keep as much of the red stuff inside of him as possible._

"_And I bruise easily," Duo added, causing Heero to let up on his grasp._

_Getting the response he wanted, Duo relaxed into the invasion on his mouth by a vigorous tongue. Then the tugging began and once again he had to put Heero on notice._

"_There's buttons and a zipper. Use them. I don't wanna haveta go home wrapped in a sheet. Besides, these are among the best I've got."_

_Oh, how Heero had lingered over those buttons, tender fingers slipping them free one at a time as an excruciatingly slow pace, all the while nipping and licking each newly exposed piece of skin._

_Duo writhed in the agony of expectation. Heero hadn't even started removing his jeans; there hadn't been more than a light brush of finger tips followed by the firm crush of a thigh over his pelvis, when Duo couldn't stave off the rising pressure any more, and a shout burst from his lips as he came._

"_Hee-ro!"_

"Hey!" Duo grumbled at a passerby who bumped into him.

"Watch where yer goin' yerself!" shouted the stranger over a shoulder.

Duo frowned until the figure had disappeared into the crowd. A crowd of people waiting at a familiar bus stop. Oh, yeah, now he knew where he was! He was downtown. In Sanc. His scalp itched from the braid coiled under his hat. When he raised his arm to scratch at it, he knew instantly from the weight change, that he'd been robbed! His jacket pocket was lighter than it should have been. _Robbed!_

"Hey!" he shouted again and tore off at a full run, hunting for the person who had jarred into him.

The little pickpocket was fast, but he was faster and had more stamina. Before he tackled the figure to the ground, which would have hurt, he shouted, "Stop!"

The runner collapsed onto a bench at the edge of a tiny park, pushed away the dark hood, and sighed, "Finally!"

"Hilde!" Duo said, panting. "What the fuck?"

She caught her breath a minute later. "Just seeing if you were still on top of your game before I offered you my services."

"I am, but I don't need any help right now."

"I need the work, Duo. I really do. And we work so good together. If you got something going down, I wanna be a part of your team. Please?"

"The timing stinks," Duo argued. "I don't like stink."

Hilde moved from her defensive stance, letting out a puff of breath. "Okay, I know everything, pretty much. The TV guys contacted me to act like a…ah… production assistant on the show."

"When did _you_ become an actress?"

"I've been acting… around. You know that!"

"Not TV."

Her entire demeanor changed and her face brightened as she came clean, or so Duo thought. "It's all the same in show business. You know, to keep control of the… storyline- and I do know something about robberies- and keep it entertaining."

That he bought. "Entertaining? Oh, yeah. That's reasonable. I wondered why anyone would wanna watch this kinda shit. So, sounds like you already gotta job. What's the deal?"

"I only got it if I work with you, you know, a part of the team…stealing, whatever."

"Uh, huh. Makes me wonder why ole TK didn't come to me first?" He would have questioned that first off, had he less Heero and more coffee for breakfast.

She had an answer at the ready. "I think it was a test of my skills to see if you and me were still tight. He really wants me on the team like a consultant? Because he doesn't want you to appear studied, like a professional actor. You gotta look real. I'm not important. I mean, I'll hardly be on TV at all, drat it all, but I can school you how to make the most out of a scene."

Duo grinned. "Finally getting your big break, huh?"

"Yeah, I guess. It'd be cool to get into movies someday."

Her dreamy smile warmed him inside and he wrapped her in a hug. "Hey, I broughtcha outta the L2 colony, if I can give you a leg up in show business with this job, then… yeah, we're still tight. Welcome aboard."

"Thanks. Oh, here's your cell phone."

"Uh, huh."

"You're getting old, Duo, for me to pick your pocket like that."

"Old? I didn't let you get away with it, did I? Naw, I was distracted."

"You sure were." A careful study of his relaxed, considering, expression and loose body language, revealed a clue to the cause. "You gotta boyfriend?"

"Huh? Oh! Um… I was thinking about him. Yeah, Heero."

"So, you moving in with him? Heh, heh, 'cause if you still live in that hole you used to I can guarantee he's not moving in with you."

"No. No one's moving in with no one. It's complicated. Right now he's employed at the palace. A-and that's all I'm gonna say about it."

"You got my number. Keep in touch," she said.

"Uh, huh. I'll think about where you'll fit in and let you know. And send you my timetable."

"Thanks, Duo. You won't regret having me onboard."

"Yeah."

He was starting to pile up regrets. What was one more? She was good for some small task and if she gave him any trouble, he'd send Trowa after her. The man was good for scaring the hell outta double dealers, so Duo really wasn't going to dwell on her any longer. He might have wondered more about the suddenness of Hilde coming on the scene, the convenience of it, had he not had Heero on the brain, but that was the way of it.

(o)

He continued on his walk, crossing the corner park and heading straight for the Winner building. He had been _compos mentis_ at some point on this beautiful morning, because he'd contacted his friend to confirm the use of his offices and his team mates to verify they'd gotten his message the night before and that they would turn up.

What he learned was that they were not all eagerly anticipating the meeting.

A meeting of the mind everyone had wanted, but getting them all to agree to actually getting off their duffs and leaving their safe little worlds and gathering for a few hours was like—well, it was a lot like pulling teeth. Painful and definitely off-putting. No one wanted to lose a tooth, even a bad one, because there was no getting one back. Fillers were not the same.

But he'd done it. They all came to agreement once Quatre offered a private conference room with refreshments in his building. _Food._ Who'da thunk it? Had Duo guessed from the start that food was the lure, he would have started with that! Live and learn. Pay them and offer refreshments! Why, it was a lot like running a company.

Maybe, Duo got to thinking, there was a future for him in the legit business world!

And when he thought about the future, the started thinking about Heero and the night before.

_As embarrassing as coming in his pants had been, Heero cackling with the thrill of victory had almost been worse. Almost, it did get him out of his jeans and wet shorts quickly. _

_Then it got __**worser**__. Little Maxie looked wrinkled, spent, and unimpressive. But before Duo could succumb to a self-pity party, his attention was wholly diverted by a Heero strip party. _

_Oh, my. Big Yuy was yearning for attention, drooling, and Duo dove right in…_

Fury-packed honking and raging streams of expletives woke Duo out of his daydream this time. He found himself frozen in place, mid-intersection, traffic halted in every direction, waiting, barely, for him to "Getcher ass outta here!" He did, his ass feeling every bit as used and assaulted as he deserved.

He hadn't submitted to sexual penetration in a long, long time, and Heero had been persuasive, convincing him more than once that it was time for him to get back into shape. He could have said no, he was sure of it, and Heero would have backed off, he was pretty sure, and they'd still be good. He hadn't been forced. But he was paying for it now in soreness, and hoped he wouldn't pay more when he had to sit through the damned meeting he'd called.

He wasn't the last one to the party. He hailed Trowa outside the building, recognizing his long-legged, determined gait from a block away. Quatre was inside, pinning on "visitor" passes and dispatching them through security to the elevator. "Rashid will see you to the proper room while I wait for the others," the executive told them, although he pressed Trowa's hand and smiled endearingly into his face, while Duo just received a polite smile and the directive.

"Hey, 'Sheed, how goesit?"

"Very good, Mr. Maxwell. Thank you for asking. How are you?"

"Top of the mark. You know my bud here, Trowa Barton, right?"

"We have met on prior occasions, yes, thank you. How are you this fine morning, sir?"

Trowa shrugged. "We'll see."

And that set the tone for the first part, the part where just Trowa and Duo waited.

"You know, when you offered me your place to stay, you would have thought you'd have at least picked up the clothes you left scattered helter-skelter everyplace," Duo began. "I really wonder how you find anything."

Trowa didn't even look up. He poured himself coffee, black, and sat down.

Duo poured himself a cup of coffee, added cream and sugar because it was there, and stood, putting off the sitting part.

Trowa chugged back a scalding mouthful, coughed, and then said, "I can find anything. I got a simple system. I just plop my stuff on the table next to the door so that it's handy as I rush headlong out the door. The fact that I also plop the groceries, the acrobatic tools, car keys, gloves and so on onto the table doesn't slow me down a bit. I know exactly where everything is even if it takes me ten minutes to find it."

"And the clothes?"

"I don't have a closet. There's a box and it had costumes in it. Sorry. Next time I'll call the cleaning service. I didn't know you were so particular about where you screwed."

"I'm not-! Well, I _am_, and don't trouble yourself. There's not gonna be a next time, you can count on that."

"Good." Trowa swallowed more, feeling the burn enough to make his eyes water. "So, you and the cop are…over?"

"Over?! You mean over and done with?! Hell no! Was that what you were after? Breaking us up? God, Trowa! I don't need you fucking things up to make my life miserable. I do a splendid job at it all by my little self. I need you to… no, I don't need nothing. I don't need your kind of support for my private life. I need you to do this _job_ and that's it. Stay outta my love life."

"You don't see how dating a fucking palace cop when you're about to rob the fucking place isn't a really, really fucking stupid thing to do?"

"It's my problem. The job will most likely mark the end of 'Ro and me, so just let me enjoy these last few days, okay? Geez, Tro' you'd think you were my older brother or something." _Something._ Suddenly, another possibility opened, like a bottomless pit at his feet. When he looked Trowa in the eyes, was there that something lurking behind that sullen exterior?

God, he hoped not, not some case of unrequited love. Duo couldn't take that. Not now!

"Well, he seemed pretty chill with everything," Trowa was saying in a cautious tone. "He could have high-tailed it all angry, but he didn't. That could indicate he has deeper feelings for you."

"You telling me that was a test you set up? Man, Tro', you got some serious trust issues."

"You bet I do! I don't trust anyone who's fought for the enemy."

"Good thing I don't see things so black and white, or where would you and I be?"

Trowa winced at the reminder that he had infiltrated an enemy station and in doing so, fought with them on more than one occasion. "That's different."

"Oh? Well, you don't even know for sure what side Heero was on. Not for sure!"

"I don't want you getting arrested, Duo. You could be put away for a long time."

And, if Heero was responsible, it would break Duo's heart beyond repair.

Trowa cleared his throat and said, "I'd miss you."

There was that warning in Duo's head again, signaling that something else was at work here, possibly. Possibly not. Trowa was a dynamic guy on the ropes, under the lights, in a show, but Duo never knew him to be in a real relationship. He'd always hidden behind his innate shyness. There was only one way to find out. Ask.

"Are you in love with me?"

The question hung in the air and both men turned at the sound of Quatre in the open doorway. In his dove grey suit, white shirt and pink tie, he looked cool and flinty, Duo decided. Yes, flinty, hard, detached, and unbending. How long had he been standing there? Duo felt his scalp prickle and felt sick.

"Wufei and his guest will be a little late. He just called with a client that won't leave the shop before spending several hundred thousand dollars."

"Whew! I guess not. That's some hunk of change to shell out on a piece of painted canvas." Duo rattled on while keeping an eye on Quatre's body language, wondering how much of his conversation with Trowa he'd overheard—they hadn't been quiet.

Quatre poured coffee for himself, and loaded it with sugar and cream before bringing the overflowing cup to the table. "Monday is never a good day under any circumstance. I do not let it set the tone for the rest of the week. Tuesday, well… off to a good start, then it's a good week; off to a bad start, and it's normal. Tuesday was a staff meeting. I was typing up my letter of resignation by the end of it. I haven't submitted it yet, but it is ready if and when I even have a superior to give it to. Wednesday at work was slightly better than Tuesday but not much. When I arrived in the office, I forced myself to tackle a job that didn't need tackling and, in so doing, made a botch of it. This is always good for the ego, and it pretty much summed up the rest of the week, too. So, don't come to me with silly complaints about how things are working out for you!"

"Um, okay." What complaints, Duo wondered?

Quatre turned to address Trowa, his eyes hooded. "Aren't you going to answer his question?"

Not on your life, Duo said to himself.

"I thought it was just between us," Trowa finished off what had to be well-cooled coffee.

"Let me see," Quatre went on. "It sounds to me that Duo's friend took some prank very well but that Duo was more annoyed at you for setting them up and spoiling their romantic evening. But you did this for the best of reasons. I'm sure Duo realizes how much you must care about him to do something like that. Right, Duo?"

"No." Duo felt adamant about this now that Quatre was present.

"Yes." Trowa seemed to like digging hole to climb into. A real trencher.

Quatre's face fell, a crack in the earlier aloof façade. "I see."

"No, you don't," Trowa argued.

If he dug any deeper he'd reach China, which made Duo think about Wufei and how he wished he'd show up fast and then thought about pitching Zechs Merquise to Trowa and felt like grabbing his own shovel and digging the hell outta Sanc!

"I don't want Duo messing around with some dude who's capable of ruining his life. If Duo's caught at this job, with his past, they'd lock him up and bury the key."

Duo groaned. What was with the burying and digging?!

"None of us wants that," Quatre admitted. "Although, I'm sure a good lawyer could limit his incarceration. But the question was-"

Duo felt sorry, a little, for his timid friend. Trowa was not one to speak up about his feelings and here Quatre was pressing him for a big admission. He nearly put a stop to it, when Trowa surprised him.

"Sure I love him, like a brother, like the comrade in arms that we've been. Yeah, I do. We're not lovers, though. I don't want that."

"You don't?" Quatre sounded hopeful this time. "You spend a great deal of time with him. In fact, you spend more time with all the gay men I'm aware of than with me."

Ah... Duo understood, so surely Trowa would recognize jealousy when it knocked him upside the head.

"I've made it obvious how I want to spend time with you, but there's never time! Although it seems you make time for other handsome young men."

"But that's because of the job—" Trowa started to defend himself.

"That's an excuse!"

And a pretty lame one, Duo thought.

"You hated the circus!" Trowa said.

"I did not!"

"Whoa," Duo cut in. "When were you ever at the circus, Quat? You never told me about that, Tro."

They ignored his presence.

"I found a few things very difficult to deal with," Quatre admitted with a sniff.

"Yeah, it all just emphasized the social differences between us," Trowa said, standing his ground, all trace of his usual shyness gone for the time being.

"No! No, it was just…" Quatre pulled out a handkerchief and blew his nose. "Oh, look at me! Just talking about it makes me react."

Trowa looked very concerned and put hand on his arm. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, yes, well, a little not. You see, I'm allergic to animals. Fur, feathers, it doesn't matter which. And everywhere there was dust, and I have allergies to that too. So you see, it wasn't what you do but the circus itself that I had problems with."

"Allergies? Can't you take medication for that? Why didn't you tell me?"

Duo choked back a laugh. Where did Quat come up with this stuff? Duo knew his friend didn't have allergies; he'd been riding horses for years and once had a pet dog, for Christsakes! And Duo was pretty sure he remembered correctly Quatre's disparaging remarks about the circus hygiene and health conditions. He didn't want to make a fuss around Trowa, but Quat wasn't a fan of carnivals, zoos, and especially circuses. He was a fan of slender, well-built, shy, gay men. Trowa was just his type, aside from the unfortunate circus job.

"I didn't know until I was tested. And now I do. I just knew I felt awful at the circus and didn't want to tell you how the place you loved made me feel ill."

Duo held back his laughter as best he could and lowered himself gingerly to a chair while taking a sip of coffee, now cold. The sharp, painful reminder of his activity the night before, made his shuck in a quick gasp of air, and coffee, causing him to choke.

He caught Quatre looking at him, not with concern (are you all right?) but with frustration (can't you do that more quietly?)

Quatre didn't wait for Trowa to embrace him. Who knows how long it might have taken him to gather the courage? Not Quatre. He was too impatient. Trowa found himself with an armful of sniffling blond. Two arms full when he finally completed the hug.

"I'm so sorry," Quatre said, muffled by layers of jackets. "I've started treatment, but the doctor says it take months for anything to begin to work."

Duo moaned and hid his face in his arms, folded on the table. Months! And then Quatre'd be perfectly fine to hang out at the stables or acquire a pet, but Duo would bet a gold brick, when he got a hold of one, that being at the circus with so many irritants would be out of the question. And poor Trowa would be so smitten by then that he'd give it all up without question.

Well, they could suit themselves!

"That's all right. We'll work something out. Would you like something to drink? Can I do something to help?"

_God, a simpering Trowa_. Duo almost threw up.

Trowa, his urgency notwithstanding, wasn't going to get his answers from Quatre right then. Duo knew that what Quatre needed was going to take more effort than walking to the refreshment table. He needed to be a part of Trowa's day-to-day life and they had a start right here and now with this meeting.

Poor Trowa. Poor Quatre.

So far, the blond had been very much apart from what Duo and Trowa were doing. No wonder that he had felt left out and unloved! But looking at the two of them now, it seemed to Duo that he was witnessing a shift in the power base. Quatre was tired of waiting and was taking over the relationship.

Good. Maybe Trowa would keep his nose out of his and Heero's affairs!

"Excuse me, Mr. Winner." It was Rashid. "Mr. Chang and Prince Milliardo have arrived."

Was it too late to make a run for it? It was. Oh, how Duo wished to turn back the clock and be just about anyplace else- _back in bed with Heero would be excellent!_

Quatre had been somewhat primed to meet the man accompanying the art curator. Duo certainly knew what was going on and who Milliardo was and had dropped hints to him over the phone. Trowa was the least prepared to meet the Sanc prince and future king. It was probably a good thing that he was within arm's reach of Quatre at the time. It made it easier for the blond to ease him into a chair before he fell.

Duo grinned internally._ Gotcha for messing with 'Ro an' me, buster._

So sensitive! This was why Duo had been putting off telling him about Mill and Mill being Zechs, a man Trowa was certain to recall from the past war experiences. Trowa was the type to let a little class distinction, and a war, get in the away of progress every time.

And before he knew it, Duo was saying all this aloud. His impromptu speech turning into what Quatre once coined as his "stream of _un_consciousness."

"—I thought hard about giving you all a heads up, telling you about one another, but, honestly, that was just too unpleasant and complicated and time consuming. I could have let you simply run into one another on the job and maybe it wouldn't have been so big a deal, but I'm not one to chance jeopardizing a job that way. I got to thinking that if we didn't get through this, if I didn't let you in on one of the team, well, you'd find out anyway and there'd be a huge breach of trust issue."

"Damned straight," Trowa murmured. "But you still should have told me the Prince of Sanc would be here today."

"Glad to have your full attention." He felt particularly good seeing his mercenary clown catch fire and come to life again instead of sitting there with that smoldering, star-struck, glazed over expression on his face. On his right, however, Quatre didn't seem to be his usual chipper self. His friends were so moody!

"Duo, you didn't even warn him?" Quatre said, laying on the guilt pretty damn thick, from Duo's standpoint.

He killed the joy. "Okay, I'll give you that. Sorry, man. But here we are!"

And at that moment, Duo lost track of where he was in his original, sensible script. His night with Heero must have seriously screwed with his brain cells, like the rest of his body, heh, heh.

_That _made him smile a little.

Which renewed his faith in his ability to wing it with an impromptu pep talk, regaling the troops with his wisdom.

"Robbing buildings requires two primary attributes—patience and experience—neither of which is teachable. Of the two, experience is the less important because it is easy to gain experience, comparatively speaking, but one is always losing patience. The only secret I know is in the preparation—do the footwork, double check your facts…"

Duo paused. He was losing his audience he could tell. No one cared about his warm up speech. They _would_ like a little flattery, though!

"… and last but not least, in fact, the most important secret to the success of a job is to get the best people you can trust to work with!"

_Go team!_

Trowa sighed and looked out the window. Quatre straightened his tie and adjusted his cuffs. Mill and Wufei whispered, the Chinese art collector tapping his watch face. He glared at Duo and barked, "If you have a point, get to it. Is Mill helping me, or not!"

_O-kay. On with the show!_

"Getting there! I called this meeting to introduce _Mill_ to the team, having come to the conclusion he would make a suitable part of the gang. I wasn't sold immediately. Originally, I planned to meet with his illustriousness for a grilling, and then call in Trowa once I'd made up my mind. Then I thought about Quatre and whether or not he wanted his involvement in the… job… known. But that all just seemed like a lot of beating around the bush and time is of the essence," he had one more bromide to toss in there but couldn't think of it so, "… so I decided to just invite everyone today, come what may."

"Come what may, you say?" Trowa asked, but Duo didn't like the odd glint in his eye now. "I'm glad you decided to let me know that we'll be robbing the palace with the aid of the **fucking prince**!"

Duo had been right to be troubled by Trowa's eye glint. With the other eye mostly obscured by the long fall of bangs, Trowa could concentrate a lot of emotion and presence into the remaining one.

"I rather like _that_ title," Mill said, laughing.

Duo and Trowa were standing toe-to-toe now. Trowa angry. Duo on the defensive.

"It was complicated," Duo said.

"I'll bet it is. The crown prince joins up with Fingers McGee to rob the Sanc palace blind. Think there could be a conflict of interest? A hidden agenda? A double cross? Sounds like a plot for a TV show. Oh, wait! _It is_."

"What is?" Mill asked, but Duo was ignoring him for the moment. One bucket of worms to ingest at a time.

"He's as eager to hide the valuables from the New Alliance as the rest of us, right?" Duo asked looking for Mill's back up.

"More, I'd say," Mill acknowledged. "The New Alliance is planning to move on Sanc, take over the wealth to pay their war debts, and leave the kingdom in a financial crisis. My sister and I have vowed to stop them, and this, carrying off the wealth and putting it in hiding, will do that. I can't tell you how important it is that this… job… be successful. There simply aren't words to express how seriously committed I am."

"You're doing all right." Trowa sounded so reasonable, Duo started to relax . "Okay," Trowa gestured for them all to back off. "I'll buy that, for now."

"Right," Duo sighed with relief at having conquered that summit of trouble. "In the end, he's with Wufei and Wufei will vouch for him. If anyone's getting into trouble, it's him, what with the art, the jewels-"

"So, he's working with Wufei and that's it?" Trowa asked.

"Yeah, for the most part, possibly with you—" Duo's mouth snapped shut under the intense beam of Trowa's one-eyed stare.

Trowa , apparently no longer stunned by the presence of royalty in the room, stood, gritted his teeth and warned Duo to, "Shut up."

Wufei rolled his eyes. "On with the floor show."

Trowa grabbed Duo by the shoulders and nearly lifted him off the ground. "You really, really ought to let me in on things like that the moment they cross that teeny weeny little spark you call a brain. How could you do this to me? I have a circus to setup, your little side show act to setup, and a treasury to break into and now, you go and add an new, unknown into the mix… and it's the Fucking Prince?!"

Back to the beginning.

As an aside, Mill whispered to Wufei, "They are a tempestuous couple, but I imagine hot in bed together."


	10. Step One, Read the Directions

Chapter 10 - Step One, Read the Directions

* * *

"Maxwell and Barton? A couple? Oh, no," Wufei shook his head. "They aren't- I don't think they are."

Trowa pushed apart so hard, Duo landed on the floor, his sore butt screaming at the abuse. "Hey!"

"They most _certainly _are not a couple!" Quatre pounded on the table top to get their attention. "We just established that when you walked in!"

Mill's hair shimmered as it swayed to and fro. "I see, well, perhaps I'm wrong. I do think I can move this discussion along a little bit, would you mind?"

"Anything would be better than listening to them argue," Wufei said, casting a glance at his watch and then up at the wall clock, doubling the pressure. "I have crates to complete. This is a waste of valuable time!"

"Gentlemen," Mill called out with a wave of his hand. "Would it benefit you to know that I have access to the treasury?"

"Is that right?" Trowa asked, ignoring Duo's groans and moving closer to the prince. "You're offering to help with opening the treasury?"

"That's right. I have the highest security clearance in the kingdom, actually."

"No shit?" Duo eased carefully into a chair. "Man, it did occur to me to ask you about that, too."

Mill nodded slowly. "If I ask for my allowance, they must open the door and let me take it in any form I wish. And, yes, I am being facetious here."

Wufei snorted, his way of laughing, Duo supposed. He couldn't remember ever seeing the man laugh aloud.

The prince smiled serenely. "Seriously, I have access to the bullion stores, the crown jewels, and the rest of the inventory residing there. Is that important to your scheme?"

"Damned important," Trowa grumbled. "It's the enchanted_ key_ to what I'm doing."

And for a few minutes, the two men sat peacefully at the table and sketched out a rough idea of what needed to get done. Satisfied with that success, they worked out a few important details left to be determined and an action plan to accomplish everything. Mill was good, Duo had to give him that. He'd put Trowa at ease and gained his cooperation with a show of professionalism that impressed him.

"Maxwell, is there an overall agenda?" Wufei asked, bored. "Or are we all doing this independently, as it seems?"

"Oh, there's a grand plan," Duo replied. How to pull it together?

"Is that Winner's role here?" Wufei asked before Duo could say anything more.

_Not on your life!_ He wanted to set the record straight. He was the one with the plan this time, not Quatre! He just couldn't get his words out fast enough.

"I'll take that, okay?" Quatre asked although he seemed ready to go whether Duo agreed or not. "I'm really just a bit player."

A colossal bit.

"So, let me expound on that a little," Quatre went on. He described the party, the packing for the next day, and how Pargon was enamored with the way Rashid had organized everything and was, in fact, going on a "delightful holiday" with Rashid and his family.

"I'm ready for the big day", he said, smiling broadly, confidently in Trowa's direction, making Duo think he had some other "big day" plans up his custom-ordered, hand-tailored shirt sleeve involving an acrobat and a steel-reinforced, four-poster bed.

Duo noticed Trowa watching Mill out of the corner of his eye at times, studying him. Eventually, he'd figure out that Milliardo was the Zechs of old returned from the dead and all hell would break out again. His head throbbed already. He couldn't even conjure up an image of Heero lying naked on the motel bed. It was as if that had occurred in an alternate universe. The good one where he and Duo were lovers and not about to explode.

"I'd love to hear about your role, Wufei," Quatre said, his charm level dialed up to "kill" level.

Wufei spoke more openly than was his usual way concerning his art removal plans. His pride shown forth as he described in detail how the crates had built-in hidden slots for containing the priceless jewels.

"…Lined in velvet and form-fitting foam so nothing will rattle or be damaged or seen."

"Like a Chinese puzzle box", Duo put in, just as he'd thought it before.

"There is still the issue of getting the crown jewels out of the treasury and into my hands. That is something I expect Duo and Trowa to resolve, and soon, if there is going to be any progress made today."

"On it," Duo mumbled and thought about Hilde running the tunnel.

Wufei explained how he and Zechs would see to all the packing, although he had a team of musclemen from his shop to do the actual lift-and-carry work. Once the crates were loaded into the vans, they would head out to the vaults, deep underground salt mines, where they would be unpacked, re-sorted and exchanged for the false copies. The copies would be loaded onto the vans, awaiting return to the palace, once the wall painting was complete. The originals would remain in storage, with the crown jewels, until further notice.

"If you have further instructions, I'll need to have those as well."

"I'll keep that in mind," Duo said. He ticked off his mental notes: Hilde moving stuff from treasury to the palace and what to do with the damn junk later. "Let's just keep it all stored where it's safe and secret."

Both Wufei and Mill laid on matching smarmy smiles. "Very wise."

"Uh, huh."

"The few art pieces _on loan_," Wufei emphasized the word heavily, "to Sanc from the L5 colony, will be returned, of course."

Mill smiled with a fractional dip of his chin. "It is to be expected, dearest."

Again, Rashid entered after a polite knock, and lunch rolled in on catering carts. There was an assortment of sandwiches, salads, and even some breakfast items for those for whom this was the first meal of the day and couldn't face anything more potent than bland porridge or dry toast. This kept everyone occupied, and at peace again for several more minutes.

Mill continued to attend his lover, offering suggestions as to what to eat and proposing he sample bits of his own choices. Duo thought it was funny and entertaining.

Trowa grunted and kept an eye on the tall man with the long, platinum hair. If Duo was lucky, maybe Trowa would figure out who the man was on his own and save him from having to bring up the topic. And just let it pass. Let bygones be bygones. There! The lost cliché had come to mind! How lucky.

He also wished he'd gotten it all over with and just told Trowa everything before the meeting, and maybe he would have if he hadn't sent the plague of circus animals down upon him the evening before!

Duo, however, was only _so_ lucky, and it ran out about the time the food did.

The question arose as to what it was that Duo would be doing, and what he _had_ been so busy doing lately. Feeling it was time to mention the reality show was easier than actually bringing it up. But he did. It was easier than discussing the Mill-is-Zechs issue. Probably.

"No wonder you held off telling me about this. Where is it going to play? Court TV? It just seems to me that when you are committing a felony," Mill pointed out in case it had escaped Duo's attention. "You don't ordinarily want witnesses, do you? What you want, I would guess, although I grant you that I am no expert, is privacy."

Duo frowned. He didn't like snark unless he was the one dishing it out. "I've been _assured_ that "legal" is taking care of all that. Besides it's going to involve me so nothing falls on you." He handed Mill TK's card. "I've been there to the studio and all, and AOK is legit."

Mill took one quick glance before handing the card back as if it were raw bacon. "Of course _he's_ legitimate. We'll be the ones who are not!"

"Me! He'll be filming me and me only!" Duo shouted. "Geez... how many time do I havta explain this. I gotta plan. Foolproof. They got their eyes on me while the rest of you pull off the real robberies."

"I'm not actually _robbing_—"Quatre tried to argue, but Duo's irritated-bordering-on-crazed glare silenced him. "Well, it is a fine point… I'll drop it."

"One more thing," Duo said. "I might as well get this over with. There's another player to add in. Her name's Hilde."

"I know her," Trowa chimed in, helpfully, to Duo's surprise.

"Yeah. I've worked jobs with her before. This time she's working with the TV folks and linking with us—"

"A liaison," Zechs put in.

"Yeah. I'll limit what she knows, but she can help with the TV parts I don't know much about."

"You have a big team here," Quatre pointed out unhappily.

"They got roles, dude. Just like in a movie, each of the gang has a specialty. There's the techie security and lock expert, the musclemen, the getaway guys, the planner, and—"

"What's Hilde doing," Trowa emphasized, "for _us_? _Here_. In _this_?"

So, he wasn't really supporting Duo's choice. Figures.

"In this? She's there to make us look interesting," Duo said.

Shaking his head to show his disapproval, Trowa clarified, "What's she contributing to the job on _our_ team?"

"Oh," Duo said, borrowing a few seconds to think. "She's a wall climber. Good in caves."

"She can run the underground! She can carry the crowns from the treasury to me where I'll stow them away in hatboxes with the others!" Winner announced.

"And the jewels to me," Wufei tagged on. "Make sure she's trustworthy, Maxwell."

"If she's caught, she's on her own," Trowa muttered.

"Tough love, Tro'," Duo muttered. He was deeply relieved to have gotten past all the stumbling blocks. Almost all. There was one left, but maybe that could just wait. Maybe they could pull off the entire job and not ever have to bring it up?

Oh, yeah, like that would happen?

Trowa's visible eye widened. Duo could see the color was green. It often seemed hazel in the shadows, but now he could see that it was clearly green against his suddenly ghostly pale skin. The color drained from his friend's face so that his stubble showed along his chin. He looked pallid, unhealthy, and fashionable, like a male model or someone in a music video.

Or like a man in shock. Like he'd seen a ghost.

"You!" The word passed Trowa's lips in a whisper. "I know who you look like now. Who you really are!"

Duo had heard tell of a past lover, a few secret nights Trowa had had rolling in the sack with a man he'd called the Lightening Count. But Trowa told a lot of stories and Duo never tried to parcel out the factually correct ones from the bent-truth ones. Old stories coagulated into living legend before Duo's eyes. Oh, dear. Trowa and Zechs? Trowa his rebel friend had slept with the enemy at one time?

"I wondered how long it would take you to recognize me." Mill smiled.

It was obvious that Wufei was totally clueless from the happy-smug expression he wore and had been wearing since he appeared in the room on the prince's arm. Duo knew Wufei wouldn't like this, if he knew what "this" was going to become if he didn't step in and diffuse immediately.

"Okay, you're right. The prince is more than meets the eye. Let me say this so you don't go down the wrong path like I did: he is who you think he is and he's not a zombie back from the dead."

The prince took his cue from Duo's act. "He is correct. I am the man you knew as Zechs Merquise. Not the same at heart, but in the flesh."

Zechs continued to sell his role as enemy turned rebel for the cause, and all the while Duo watched Trowa for any retribution tendencies. He was relieved to see the color return to his friend's face; a fainting Trowa would be sad to see and hard to explain. He nudged Trowa's arm and encouraged him to listen to reason, to accept what actually was, when one thought long and hard about it, a serendipitous opportunity.

Duo's charm must have worked a little magic- or maybe there had been a little more to that past affair than Duo had supposed?- because Trowa seemed mollified to the point of agreeing to let Mill open the treasury building for him and help him carry the many pounds of bullion out the door to the train cars.

Duo suspected that the prince had more in mind, that there was more to his plan than that, but he wasn't delving into the nitty-gritty at the table.

What Duo didn't notice, being all-consumed by getting Trowa's acceptance of Mill, was the effect on Quatre, who was frowning and becoming agitated.

Duo was wrapped up in tying up as many loose ends as possible and keeping everything on an even keel. "And there's the party. Hey, Quat? Trowa is invited, right?"

Quatre gave a single curt nod.

Enough for Duo to go on. "And how about Wufei?"

"He's taken care of," Mill purred, leaving the meaning open to interpretation.

"All right then," Duo said by way of concluding his active portion of the discussion. He was extremely proud of how the meeting had turned out. Sure, there were a few rough spots to smooth over but they still had a little time left. He'd done his job, _gathering_ the parts, introducing them, ensuring payment and providing for self-gratification- both monetary and of causes close to the heart. He had an arm draped over Trowa's shoulder demonstrating his camaraderie with the man.

Or something else.

What Duo observed was Mill's sly smile as he shared a whispered word or two with his lover, and Wufei's knowing expression in response. Duo felt left out and didn't like it.

"What's the secret?" he asked directly.

It was Wufei who replied. "In spite of Quatre's previous assertion, we were conjecturing earlier about whether or not you and Trowa were official—"

"Official what?"

One look to his left gave him Trowa's blank slate of an expression. One glance to the right and he could see Quatre looking unhappy but trying his mightiest to keep it under wraps.

"A couple, of course," Mill supplied. "Barton hides it rather well."

Oh does he now? "A couple? Trowa and me? Ha!" Duo barked out a laugh. "He and I are ole buds going way back, aren't we, Tro'?"

Trowa nod was infinitesimal. If there was anything he didn't like discussing, especially in a group setting, was anything that touched on feelings. Duo knew that, and respected it, but he started to wonder if Quatre was so knowledgeable. He might not understand the undercurrent of rough waters Trowa was tangled up in. Duo did, though. He decided to take it upon himself to clear the water, the air, and all other spirits at work in the room.

"See? Nothing. We cover one another's' backs… er… that's not quite right, we do, but I meant as in protection. We both got other people in our lives to deal with the love angle. He's too gentlemen-like to blow another man's cover, too, um, yeah." _God_, what was he _thinking_? "What I'm saying is that Tro's not the type to kiss and tell, you know? You should be appreciative of that of all people, _Mill_."

Duo was certain he'd guessed right and there had been some connection between his friend and Milliardo in the past, then possibly the man would reconsider teasing them further, and shut up. Possibly.

Duo's interesting word choices had managed to bring a few smiles to the faces of the room full of gay men. Quatre, he noticed had managed to snag Trowa's eye and lock it on his. Some kind of communication was going on there, which Duo could only hope was a good thing. They appeared satisfied.

"Oh, I am," Milliardo drawled.

"It's me," Quatre piped up. "Trowa's dating me. We- we were keeping it quiet."

"Really?" Mill appeared totally off-guard and surprised by that news.

So did Trowa, in fact.

"And Duo's dating one of the guards here. Heero."

Duo wheezed.

Quatre turned to him and as it dawned on him what he'd done, a look of horror marred his face.

Oh, shit. Oh, shit. Oh, shit. Maybe, _possibly_, now wasn't the time to bring that up, Quat? Just _maybe_?

"I could be wrong about that though," he pasted on in a weak attempt to take back what he'd said. "So just drop the subject, all right?"

Mill did not. He did jump to his feet and pound his fists onto the table top with a force close to cracking the melamine surface. "Heero _Yuy_?! The head of Relena's elite guard? _That _Heero?! Dear _Lord_… Are you-?"

"Shuddup!" Duo shouted, out shouting the taller man. "I am _really_ _awesomely t_ired of being asked if I'm crazy or stupid. I am _not_ unaware of the potential drawbacks, geez Louise, so just clam up and keep it all to yourself."

"But you don't know—" Mill tried to say something despite Duo waving at him to stop.

"You're right! I don't! And I don't want to, okay? I'll learn about him as he learns about me and we'll just go on about our merry ways. Or not. As far as this job goes, it is my business. My ass on the line, okay? You all got your things to do. Me, I'm directing everyone's attention to what I'm doing. So while I'm part of shooting this reality show break in, all eyes are on me and not you, got that?"

What with being thought of as a couple with his friend Trowa and then considered a loon for messing around with Heero, Duo had had enough of this meeting for the day.

"So here's the last paycheck you'll probably be getting from the network, my guess. There is a final lump sum payable on completion, but seeing as they are likely not going to be keen on how this whole reality show heist plays out, I think it's fair to say that _that_ payment won't be forthcoming. However, if I'm wrong, and I rarely am about these sorts of financial transactions, then any final payments will go to Howard's fund for… well… everyone but Mill here- who isn't in on the Howard connection- knows what. The rest of you have a stake in how that money get allocated, but suffice it to say, it will all work out. Any comments?"

Not that he wanted to hear any, but…

"You've been true to your word," Wufei said.

"Yup," Trowa agreed.

"Thank you, Duo, for giving us this opportunity to change the course of events." That was Quatre hoping for Duo's forgiveness still.

"I concur," Mill said.

That was pleasant. "All right." Duo sat a moment using the tip of his braid to brush crumbs from his lunch into a pile. "Tro'? Wasn't it me who was just saying the other day that I was back in business?"

"Sounds like something you'd say," Trowa replied.

Duo groaned, "I am never, _ever_ saying I'm back in business. Never. Because that seems to have declared open season on my ass."

(o)

Duo left the others to sort themselves and their interwoven plans out while he took a long, long walk. What he wanted was to return to that earlier blissful state where he was daydreaming about his night with Heero. But instead, his mind was working overtime on the worrying part.

Duo found a bench at the end of the small park and slouched over it. "Time to cross-examine myself. So, Duo, my boy, how will the job turn out? Will everything go according to plan?"

Several birds fluttered nearby, cooing for attention.

"Don't be ridiculous. A better question is 'Will _anything_ go according to plan?'" he muttered aloud, scaring a pigeon who had dared peck at his foot.

Here, the answer was "certainly"—some things would go as planned, some things wouldn't.

"And that's no different from anything else in life." A robbery job was only a small slice of semi-reality, after all. "And in this case it's only a segment of a reality TV show."

Coo, coo, coo…

"It's gotta be that life is designed to place as much stress on a victim as is absolutely necessary to produce nearly total collapse—but no more. Or humans wouldn't survive!"

He would survive. "We gotta be programed for it, in spite of nearly any stress, and a nice solid 'D' is enough to pass the test of life." It had better be.

He reached Heero by phone and had what came as close to phone sex as he'd ever had, but no closer. He did get a committed promise to get together the next night, and Duo would hold him to it, even if it meant dragging the other man out of his tidy barracks, across town, and into the depths of his lair. God forbid.

His cell buzzed and without looking at the ID, he picked up, "Hey, lover, couldn't get enough of me before?"

His warm greeting was met by Quatre's rippling laughter.

"Ah, shit, Quat…shut it, 'kay?"

"Certainly, lover, ha, hah, hah…"

"Did you call for a reason, 'cause I'm hanging up."

"No! Don't hang up! Let me catch my breath first."

Duo gave his friend a few more seconds. "I'm waiting, but not much longer."

"So, were you expecting someone dark, handsome, wearing cuffs on his belt?"

"Stop meddling."

"Meddle? _Moi_? I do not meddle."

"Let me run you through my meddle-detector. BUZZZZZZZZZZZZ! Guilty!"

"Funny, funny. I was just curious who I'd been confused with."

"And you called to tell me something important?" Duo wished to remind him.

"Well, be that way."

"I love you, too, Quat, but I'm tired."

"Phone sex wearing you out? Oops! Not my business."

Duo had hurt his friend's feelings and now he had to make up. "Aw, it wouldn't be you if you didn't embed yourself in my life. We're buds, right? And what buds do matters."

"Yes, it does. I'm sorry about Heero being… doing what he does. Trowa travels and is away so much of the time and I feel sorry for myself about that, but you, you have even more divergent career paths."

"Divergent, heh, heh, yeah, you could say that." Duo sensed an improvement is Quatre's mood and then his friend chuckled. "So what'sup, buddy of mine who likes a challenging love life?"

"I'm emailing it to you now. Security system information. I don't know how much of it you can use, but there… it… is."

"It's loading now. So, where'd you get this?"

"Rashid and Pargon are getting along well, it seems. Pargon was giving him a walk-through of the building and he took him to security central, it appears, and there are the details he learned."

"This is good, very good. I needed this. The maps are only so informative, and I wasn't about to use Heero to, you know?"

"I do. I'm glad to be of service, Duo. Take care, now and sleep well."

"Backatcha, babycakes!"

Duo bounced on his mattress, cheering loudly. Another stumbling block in the way to a successful job, reduced to gravel.

As long as it didn't mix with water and become quicksand, he was good.

(o)

The next morning didn't start out well. First, it rained. A return of the wet weather pattern this early would add dimensions of difficulty to the job. Roof climbing would be even more of a slippery slope than Trowa had promised.

Second, was a call from the TV producer's assistant, Lucrezia Noin. It was 10 AM, practically dawn's early light. "Good God!" Duo screamed inwardly. "…" Actually, he said a bit more than that, but it doesn't bear repeating.

"I have Mr. Treize Khushrenada on the other line," Noin told him.

"Aw, shit!" Duo fumed. "Why don't you just take me now and get this misery over with?" Mornings brought out the melodramatic in him, especially before coffee.

"Mr. Maxwell," she said, ignoring him completely or just expecting no less from an "actor". "He has very important information to pass on."

"Swell—" Duo struggled into a sitting position, tucking his pillow behind his back, and held the phone to his ear. "I'm here."

"Good morning, Mr. Maxwell."

"Morning to you, too, Mr. Khushrenada." It was morning. Nothing good about it, though.

"We'll require you and your crew's services at the palace for some preliminary shots. There's also a set that's been created for a few of your planning meetings."

"Say what?" Duo coughed.

"You'll agree with me that there is no way to get an entire television season out of a single day's filming?"

"I was hoping." Duo had been hoping to avoid it. Yes, he had scanned the "script" and timetable sent to him by AOK, but it had all seemed unimportant, when viewed in context of the whole job. And to be honest, Heero-dreams had completely wiped it out of his mind. And if he'd forgotten this, what else?

"We want to begin with you planning the job, then move along to setting it up, maybe we'll have someone toss a monkey wrench into the works so that you'd have to go back for another confab. You have a hideout where you hammer out your plans, haven't you?"

"No."

"Oh, well, we'll create one in the studio."

"No. I mean, only me gets filmed. Not the others. I promised them or the deal's off."

That was met with a minute of silence. In the background, Duo could hear a woman's voice, Noin, probably. "These people are thieves! Rotten thieves!"

Treize's soothing voice was till audible, though turned away from the phone. "Of course they are. That's why we hired them." He sounded as bewildered as Duo felt.

Treize returned to the phone. "We'll seat you so only you… and that other girl… Hilde… are facing the camera."

"I'll think about it."

"Don't push me too far, Maxwell. We are paying you. Each and every one of them has twenty-four hundred dollars out of us already."

"Less taxes," Duo said, sounding bitter. "All right. You can get me and Hilde and the back of a few heads, but you supply the heads. My people are too damn busy working to sit around on their asses pretending to work."

"You mean you've got the job all planned out already?"

"Well, hell, yeah! It takes weeks of prep work and if we're going to make the cleaning date, we damned well _better_ be ready by now. Geez…"

"You, Hilde, and… we'll have some stand-ins in place, tonight, at the studio, 9PM. No excuses." The producer sounded serious.

Which rubbed Duo a bit raw. This was TV! Entertainment! It was supposed to be fun and he'd been having all kinds of fun up until now. Now it was beginning to sound a lot like work and he already had a job. Duo decided to ignore the other man's change of mood and play up the breezy feeling he preferred. "Gotcha! 9 PM."

And then he remembered his appointment with Heero. What a letdown! He didn't know how he'd cancel on him.

But he made that call next. Of course, Heero understood, he too, it turned out, he wouldn't have been able to meet for long anyway, so it was working out badly for both of them.

(o)

Actually, Duo found the filming process to be more fun than he'd thought it would be. They agreed to continue filming the fake scenes for the next two days, which should be about enough material to fill a month or two of shows when combined with exterior shots of the palace and historical filler on the circus and the Sanc monarchy.

Duo learned how a rehearsal was a real boon to doing the job right and wished he could do a trial run of the entire caper. In fact, he found sitting around talking shop with a bunch of strangers to be kind of fun, as though he was in a real hideout having real conversations with real buds, buds with intelligent contributions and who respected him.

Somehow it came about that Hilde should be his girlfriend.

So they filmed a bit where he said a few flirty things and she sat on his lap. Everyone knew a little sex captured an audience, so they went with the flow. This new layer changed the dynamic in a way the stand-in actors understood. This gang became more united and confident—interesting to watch.

They came up with imaginative problems that meant reworking the plans, ditching an idea here, patching in another there. It was almost real, close enough that Duo had to be especially careful not to let the actual plans out of the bag. If it wasn't for the complexity and the intrusion on his "Heero time", Duo would have loved the filming part more than the actual thievery.

Sure, he liked messing with the tricky little security workarounds and high tech devices he would need to break in, and spent hours in preparation perfecting them for this job, but the role playing was something new entirely.

Duo called Quatre to report about his activity. "That's part of what makes this whole thing strangely interesting: you never actually do anything, you just keep planning to. And as some point every day you sit in front of a television set and watch what you did yesterday, and agree you aren't half bad. Oh, crap, TK's calling me again."

Quatre laughed and ended the call.

"Duo here. What'sup?"

"Progress."

"Yeah, the stuff we've done looks pretty good, I thought."

"Not bad, no. Still… You were all agreeing with one another all the time."

"Yeah, I liked that part best."

"We need conflict. Conflict adds drama, young man."

"I guess." Duo had his fill of drama. "You got something in mind?"

"What if there was a rift in the group? A little struggle for agreements?"

"You want us to fight?"

"If you would. That would be nice."

Oh, yeah, wouldn't it, though?

Duo called Hilde and gave her the news.

"We could have a fight over some plan and one of the others could make a move on me and you could start a brawl."

"I don't know."

"Hell, I'd watch a show like that myself!"

What had he gotten himself into?

(o)

Three days after the canceled date, Duo was finally able to arrange to meet Heero for a lunch date. He was first to arrive at the diner and since he needed something cold he went ahead and ordered himself a malted.

When Heero entered, Duo was already sipping at his milkshake and winced as he attempted to smile. He blamed Hilde for his injury. Her and all her brilliant ideas. A fight! And weren't movie fights supposed to be fake?

"What happened to your lip?" Heero asked.

"I got punched in the face."

"I guessed that. By whom?"

"I have no idea."

"I bet you do."

"All right. Greg somebody and don't ask why. It's just too damned stupid to explain."

"Sure you don't want me to beat up this… Greg person?" Heero asked, perking up.

"You know, in about a week, I might let you."


	11. Now You See it…

Chapter 11 – Now You See it…

* * *

The night before the job would begin, Duo and Heero got together again. After considering and discounting other alternatives one by one- they both had to get up early and be places, and they agreed they didn't like sleazy, or even not so sleazy, motel rooms- Duo invited Heero to stay over at his place.

Not without misgivings.

Tucking Heero into his tiny, dark apartment sounded cozier than it actually would be, Duo feared, and made the mistake of voicing that concern one time too many.

"Stop apologizing," Heero repeated. "I mean it. I don't care what the inside of you place looks like."

"You say that _now_, but just wait."

Duo led him along the narrow alleyway that was his shortcut to home. "If it weren't for the restaurant's garbage being here, it wouldn't be so bad. 'Course, then it would cost more and it wouldn't be mine. Heh, heh… This is it."

Heero didn't say anything, but he squeezed Duo's hand encouragingly. "Complicated lock."

"You bet. I did that myself. See, the downstairs part is for my business. I live above that."

"Hi, kitty."

Duo turned to see Heero crouched and petting the cat Duo fed.

"It's not mine. I just feed it."

"If you feed it, it's yours. What's her name?"

"Cat. C'mon up."

"Is she supposed to come in with us?" Heero asked, letting her glide past his legs. "And that's not a name. Lark is a name."

"Lark is a bird and she's a cat and it's okay if she comes along. You hungry, Cat?"

"Tiger," Heero supplied. "She has stripes like one."

"Tiger? Oh, she'd like that, wouldn't you? Does it make you feel big and ferocious being called Tiger?" Duo caught the door before it slammed shut on them. "Whoa, grab that sack, willya, while I hold the door here?"

Heero lifted a sack from the floor before Tiger could shred it and followed Duo up the stairs. "Smells good. You have food delivered?"

"Leftovers from the restaurant. One of the perks. Hilde works there a day or two a week, when she's between better jobs. This is her thanking me for getting her onboard with… another job." He had just about blurted out to Heero about the upcoming palace heist. Icy fingers of shock slapped him in the face. _Man!_

"Your friend Hilde has a key?"

"Yeah, but only to the outside door. Not to the office or my place upstairs. Prepare yourself." Duo unlocked and flung open the door to his apartment. The hinges creaked in complaint.

The apartment was small and dark, as promised. A mattress laden with pillows and blankets lay pushed up against the far wall. Next to it was a box with a jumble of clothes, a leaning clothes tree supporting Duo's suit on a hanger and an assortment of caps, and on the other end of the bed sat another box open-side-down with a lamp on top. Duo strode the three steps it took to cross the room and switched on the light. To the left was a window with drawn shades and a rickety table, where Heero set the bag of food.

"Home sweet home." Duo reached into the sack and pulled out a small takeout box. It must have been a familiar activity, because Cat/Tiger let out a loud mew and danced around his legs. "Lemme deal with her first."

After politely letting Duo open the container and set it on the floor, Tiger took over consuming the smelly fish.

They stood and watched her bolt it down.

"What do you do with the rest of the food?" Heero asked.

"Eat it? I don't have a way to store it or heat it."

Heero seemed to accept that information. "Are you hungry?"

"Yeah. Are you?"

"I missed dinner."

Duo grinned. "Well, pull up a chair, heh, heh."

There was none. Heero punched his arm good-naturedly.

"Use the mattress, man."

Duo did have a couple glasses, one held the pair of spoons, forks and knives, which he emptied and handed over to Heero. "Take these. I'll get some water." He filled a pitcher with fresh water from the bathroom tap.

"You have a private bath?" Heero asked.

Duo noticed a note of envy in his voice and remembered that Heero shared everything where he lived. "Yeah, and I cleaned it so it's not too gross."

"I'd like a place like this for myself," Heero said. "Where I cannot be disturbed when I want peace."

"I never thought of this as being particularly want-worthy," Duo admitted.

"It is." Heero touched the mattress, a pillow, his glass as it was handed to him. "I know what I want now. During the war, all I wanted was to fight, to win."

Duo jumped. He did not want to know the truth. He wanted to be ignorant. He didn't want confirmation that Heero fought for the enemy, which he had to have been in order to have become a member of Sanc's elite guard. If he knew, _for sure_, then they would still be enemies, because Duo and his friends were still fighting the war. And if Heero knew that, he'd have to arrest Duo and the others; that is, if he could prove their complicity.

"Stop!" Duo cried out.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong. Not exactly."

"So, _in_exactly?"

Duo smiled like he was meant to. "I missed at least one meal today and I'm hungry and would like to eat while it's still warm."

"We could microwave—"

"We _could _if we had a microwave, but I don't. No way to heat food, like I said. So, here, start with this one." Duo handed him a carton, steaming with delicious smells.

He felt good about having food to share, a private place to share with Heero; it was the best meal ever partaken of in his modest apartment.

"What's this," Heero asked of a forkful of mixed vegetables, cheese, and sauce.

"Eggplant Parma-something. It's my fav."

"_Egg_-plant? Sounds awful." He dumped the blob back into the carton, selected another box, and stabbed at something else.

And that's how Duo started fork-feeding him. It might have been that he was hungry. It might have been Duo's use of endearments. "C'mon, baby, one taste?" Whatever it was that did the trick, when he said, "Open!" Heero's mouth opened and he took the offering.

Duo had made sure to include more than just eggplant. All those Italian herbs and bubbling goodness tasted delicious. Heero smiled and opened his mouth for more.

After they polished off the food and drank plenty of water, the overall effect was garlic breath. That may have limited the mouth to mouth kissing somewhat, but as the clothes came off, the mouth attack on exposed body parts became a satisfactory substitute.

(o)

Duo cracked open his eyes to check the time. 3:45 AM. Thinking the noises that had awakened him were probably from a stray ravaging the garbage in the alley, he rolled over to snuggle into the warm, hard body turned into the wall. Heero. And Cat/Tiger. She had nested between them.

No. Those were men's voices he heard! Slowly, Duo crept from the bed to his door, pausing long enough to slip on a pair of jeans. He didn't bother checking at the window. Without a light outside, there was nothing to see. Since Heero had barely moved, he abandoned him to his comfort and sleep, but as he went out of the apartment, he left the door open. If there was trouble, he wouldn't mind Heero at his back, lending him a hand.

Duo tiptoed downstairs listening for unwanted activity. He wasn't too worried about getting robbed, the door was the only access at ground level and that was well-secured, but nasty thugs looking for a dark place to hang out had tried breaking down his door once and cost him money in repairs. So far, he hadn't heard anything but voices and the scuffling of shoes. So far.

Deciding to take the tough stance, he grabbed a heavy walking stick he stored by the entrance just for that reason and a flashlight and quietly drew back the lock. In a sudden action, he jerked the door wide open and switched on the light.

Two wide-eyed, uniformed men blinked. One pulled a gun on him and the other raised a hand palm up.

Duo thought the gun-crazy man looked younger than him. The uniforms were perfect matches to Heero's. Not thugs. Guards.

"What the fuck are you doing out here at this hour?" Duo demanded.

"Looking for someone," answered palm-up guy. "Put away the gun, Stewart."

"You got no jurisdiction here," Duo said, keeping the gun in sight until it had been holstered away. "In case you're lost, the palace is a couple miles thataway." Duo pointed with his stick, but tracked the men's movements with the light. He had a bad feeling they were looking for Heero. "People are trying to sleep around here. Go play someplace else."

"We have reason to believe one of our officers is here."

"He could be hurt!" gun-crazy cried out.

"The only one gonna be hurt is _you_ for disturbing the peace. You see anyone lying about here?" Duo asked. "I don't. Now, I'd like to be sleeping—"

"It's all right." Heero appeared at his back and the moved around Duo to the forefront. "Mathews, Stewart, what the hell are you doing here? I have the night off. I signed out of the barracks for the night."

"We know and we're sorry to disturb you, but the princess had tried calling you, repeatedly. We did show her that you were off the night's roster, but she insisted that we track your phone when you didn't answer." The man looked pained to report this to Heero.

Palpable frustration radiated off Heero's lightly dressed body. Heero glared down at his phone, probably, Duo guessed, turning it on and scrolling through messages. The dark eyebrows drew down. "She has no right…" he murmured.

It was now nearly four in the morning.

Cat/Tiger scooted past Duo and out into the darkness. She was the only one happy to be up and about. The Palace guards shuffled their feet, clearly uncomfortable now that they had located their man, unscathed and definitely displeased to have been bothered.

Once Duo heard the deep sigh, he knew Heero was going to have to leave. He knew it was a chance for him to man-up, demonstrate his independence, and show Heero he understood about the demands of jobs. "If ya gotta go, ya gotta go."

They exchanged warm looks and that was all. Heero took a moment to tie his shoes before leaving. No kisses. No fond embraces. All business. "I'll see you—"

"Yeah, at the party or before. I'm helping Trowa with circus setup."

One final terse nod and Heero was gone, the other guards trotting after him like chastised puppies. What an ending to the wonderful night! He choked back emotions threatening to overwhelm him. Would Heero ever again look at him the way he did while loving him? When would he ever feel those lips on his again? God, it was almost too much to take! He stood staring off into the darkness into which he'd last seen Heero, a damp mist condensing on his bangs and chilling his bare chest.

"And that's a wrap, as they say in show business," Duo said to no one.

He was meeting Trowa in a couple hours and couldn't go back to sleep now, not in his disturbed state of mind, so he grabbed a jacket from his office, locked up, and stalked through the alley short-cut on his way to the 24-hour coffee shop. Some wakeup juice and a roll would help settle his nervous stomach. Once the job was underway, he'd be fine, he knew. It was the apprehension beforehand, going over all the details, checking his lists, which got to him. He really could have used a couple more hours of sleep followed by some stress-relieving, Heero time. That man could give a great blow-job, he mused, but couldn't smile about it. Thinking about Heero just made him sad. With a takeout coffee in hand, he returned home and settled into his "office", where he collected the tools and equipment he would need for the job to come.

(o)

While he and Heero had been sharing his mattress, the careful loading of the circus train had been underway. And as the two men had snuggled together and drifted off to sleep, the animals had been loaded.

Approximately an hour later, the train had begun its trundling progress from the furthest outskirts of Sanc to the inner city.

Duo packed more into his small backpack and checked another item off his list. His cell buzzed.

"Yo." It was Trowa.

"Hey. I'm up and ahead of schedule."

"Train is rolling through downtown, passing condos and banks, and we'll be pulling alongside the royal palace of Sanc in five. Hilde made it on time. Anyway, you can meet us. There'll be coffee."

"Will do."

The Sanc Palace circus performance would take place tomorrow and only that day, but it required one complete day to setup the tents and high wire acts and to let the animals adjust to the new smells. After the show, the circus would shut down, but that only took a few hours, and then it would move on to the next location.

There was nothing like the first rosy fingers of dawn caressing the yellow and red circus cars, bringing their brilliance to light, to make Duo's heart beat faster. The excitement of the greatest show on earth was tangible; he could see it as well as feel it!

He ran into Hilde, thanked her for the food from the night before, and verified timetables, but that was all. She was helping the circus performers who'd be entertaining passersby on the streets this day, and not have much contact with Duo until later.

He sipped another cup of coffee and listened as Trowa delivered instructions to his crew for moving a portion of the train. Other teams were already in action, carrying heavy canvases, cables, and poles. They would spend the day raising the three big tents and erecting high-tension wires for the acrobatic acts.

Duo and Trowa would see to it that the selected train cars necessary for moving the heavy bullion were moved onto the side rail by the treasury building. Afterwards, they would care for the animals. In the late afternoon, the two busy burglars would shut down the palace security system and then erect lines for the aerial break-in. Oh, and after that they'd go to the party. Theirs was a busy, busy agenda.

"So, what's next?" Duo asked his friend.

"Help me unlink the cars and we can ride with the engineer."

"What are those guys doing?" Duo pointed out the costumed folks Trowa had been talking with.

"They are part of the performers who'll be on the streets around the area, you know, public relations, mimes, shit like that. The plan is to distract attention away from the train near the treasury."

"Oh, like Hilde's doing. Gotcha. Oooh! Can I walk around with a lion- or a tiger?" Duo asked.

"No." Trowa said no more.

The work was carried out according to plan with no glitches. Once the pair got the train cars safely secured by the treasury and the large animals fed and tucked in for their afternoon siestas, Duo and Trowa shared lunch with the other performers, including Trowa's sister, Catherine. Duo was so comfortable, so pleased with his progress, so exhausted from too little sleep and too much stress, that he took a short nap, and when he awoke it was time for the next phase.

(o)

A Friday afternoon at the transition from spring to summer, a few hours away from the Palace party, and Duo and Trowa, dressed in casual denim and grey to blend into both shadows and other workers, were evading a security camera inside the palace. They let it track them so that they had passed it up before Duo tapped his chest and set off an interference pattern.

"Go!" Duo ordered and they sprinted to the stairwell. Up one floor and out a door to a small service room.

Duo used his small transceiver to temporarily scramble the security lock on the door. "In!"

Once packed inside the room, more of a closet, Duo shut off both signal interrupters and shared a look with Trowa. "Hopefully, if anyone was monitoring _that_ it will just appear to have been a glitch or power blip, but my guess is everyone's more focused on the party preparations and the circus setting up."

"One can hope."

While Duo held a shrouded flashlight to marginally increase the illumination, Trowa kept an eye on the nearby door to the stairwell.

"It's got an alarm on it," Trowa commented.

"Everything's got an alarm or camera or motion detector on it," Duo said. "Whoever set this up must know his stuff." God, he hoped it wasn't Heero.

Trowa grunted. "Yep. It looks like it's connected to a phone line or some other internal system, rather than a noise alarm."

"That's what I think. You learn well, cricket."

"Grasshopper."

"_Some_ bug." Duo directed the light along the visible wires. "It'll do something somewhere. What we gotta do here is figure out how to shut it down in this half of the building, and insert this line splice device so we can turn it off and on at will."

"That all?" Trowa grumbled.

They both continued to study the security control box and the lines leading web-like out of it. Duo braced his wrist against the doorjamb of the closet to keep his light beam steady. "I'm ready to give it a try now."

"Go'head. I'll keep a watch out."

From his pack, Duo took out a length of wire bounded at each end by an alligator clip. In the center of the wire was a plastic box the size of a thumbnail. The first clip he attached quickly to a bolt head jutting from the control box just above a network controller device. Then he thought a while before attaching the other to a screw head to a sensor input module. Nodding in agreement with himself, he took another wire from another pocket, this one with an earphone at one end and flat gadget like the end of a stethoscope at the other.

"Listen to this," He told Trowa, handing over the ear piece and delicately placed the gadget end over a thick line exiting the network controller box.

"It's humming."

"Good. We want that. If it stops, we get the hell outta here, okay?"

"Retreat. I can do that," Trowa said. "Still humming."

Duo pulled from his backpack a slim wire cutter. "Get ready."

Trowa listened intently while keeping an eye on the door. Duo clipped on his forehead lamp, steadied his clipper hand, and snipped a wire.

"Still humming."

"We like that," Duo whispered. He worked with more confidence. Incoming surveillance signals now traveled down the wires, tripping triggers and sending alerts through Duo's interceptor. Duo's device stripped the alerts, sending continuing "all is well" messages humming down the alarm wires.

Trowa inclined his chin. "Humming along."

"We're done for now. I'd like to test turning the device off and on, but I don't want to chance getting caught."

"You tested the interceptor." Trowa took out the earpiece and rolled up the wire. "If it can't turn the security system off and back on, then what do we do?"

"Just keep it off and humming along- and hope Heero or other guard on duty doesn't decide to run some test. Duo ran a hand through his bangs. "Okay, there's not much choice, is there? It either works or not. One test."

Duo used his pocket computer to interface with his interceptor device. "Here goes."

"I'm ready to run."

"Security is… on. Oh, yeah, you can see the systems and sensors and… I can even cut into the cameras. All okay. Now for the trick." Both men locked eyes and held their breaths. "System off."

A couple fast heartbeats later Duo drew a deep gasp and said, "It's all go. We are transmitting "a-okay" signals and the "empty room and halls" day-time visual recording cut in seamlessly. Can't test the night-time recording, but that's the margin of error we gotta work with."

"It's okay for me."

Duo put away his equipment, and then by his muffled flashlight, they went down the iron stairs, closing the roof door behind them. He thanked his friend, Quatre, for obtaining the security information and passing it on. He couldn't have done this part without the help and felt somewhat lighter knowing he hadn't used Heero to get it.

Safely away from being caught in situ, they took a moment to smile and stretch the tension out of their shoulders.

"You know, for all complicated as it looked at first, I can't get over how low-tech their security system actually turned out to be," Duo said. "It'd be so much harder if we had to intercept a wireless signal."

"You sure we don't?"

"Pargon complained to Rashid about losing his internet service during the cleaning, because of the new security system being installed, and got invited to vacation with 'Sheed and family. All cables and shit and no wireless hub."

"Good. So, ready to test your climbing skills?" Trowa asked.

"No, but, let's do it." "It" being both a dangerous task and an annoyance to others, in particular the palace guards, like Heero.

In order to carry out the crown jewel robbery to be filmed the next day, they had to set up a web of high tension wires. These would enable Duo to lower himself through a roof opening and several stories down to where the items (false ones, but what did the TV people know?) were on display. What Trowa had informed everyone, including the palace security, was that they'd be setting up for a circus stunt.

Although the TV guys wanted to record everything, including how Duo set up for a job, they weren't there that night; Duo hadn't informed them. He did not want to give away any of his secrets, first off. And there was his promise to Trowa not to tape him accidentally, and he certainly didn't want to have cameras creeping in for close ups, making him more nervous that he already was. He suspected he'd have to do some fast talking in the morning to get past the awkward excuses he'd have to make. But there would be so much for the TV guys to do, they would be too busy and have to accept a defeat and film what there was, or miss more of the action.

"Hello! Duo! Trowa!" Quatre joined them outside. "I promise just to watch and not get in your way. Is that all right?"

"Sure," Trowa said, clearly embarrassed and yet pleased by the attention.

"Good!" Quatre said.

His was a wholly besotted expression, Duo thought, as he watched Trowa gear up with cables, ropes, and a bag of metal parts. On his back, Trowa hefted a pack of folded metal poles. Against the side of the stone building lay a ladder.

Quatre shielded his eyes from the last of the sunset reflected off the glass skylights. "Are you going up far?"

"Yes," Trowa told him. "To the top. Or nearly."

"You won't fall?"

"Hope not. I wouldn't survive a fall. Don't worry so much. I do more dangerous stunts for a living."

"I'm sorry," Quatre said, his voice hoarse. "I can't help but worry. I want you safe."

"I'll be careful." Trowa reached out and swept the bangs from the bright, blue eyes looking up at him with longing. He swallowed hard and stopped himself from leaning closer. "Stand back."

Quatre gave him more room to swing the rope with the wicked-looking hook on it.

"Hey there! What's that you're doing?!"

The sharp tone caused Trowa to drop his grappling hook and lose his smile, but Duo's face lit with joy.

"Heero!" Duo shouted back. "Coming to watch us scale the palace?"

"Coming to fuck things up," Trowa grumbled, more to Quatre than to Duo, but well within Duo's hearing. "It's what he does best."

"You weren't going to climb the wall to the roof?" Heero demanded of Duo.

"We have a permit," Trowa spat out. "Want to see it?"

Quatre held on to his arm and kept him from charging the guard. "Duo, would you like to introduce me to your friend?"

"Oh! Yeah, Quatre Winner this is Heero Yuy."

"I've met Mr. Yuy at the conference guarding Princess Relena." Quatre moved closer. "I've known Duo a long time. It's nice to meet the man he's been talking about—"

"-Incessantly," Trowa put in.

"—so much lately." Quatre stuck out a hand and waited.

Heero shook it politely. "Relena speaks highly of you."

"I do too!" Duo remarked.

Heero smiled. "And so does Duo."

"He didn't believe I knew you, Quat!" Duo exclaimed.

"We go way back," Quatre said, shrugging off the glamor people expected him to wear as the president of the Winner Corporation. "Actually, we should let them finish up while there's light," he told Heero. "And give them time to change for the party tonight."

If the guard had any other ideas, he dropped them in favor of Quatre's. "There's an easier way," Heero said. He gave Duo's shirt a little tug. "I'll take you to the roof access."

Trowa didn't argue. He even allowed Heero to heft a bag of tools for him without complaining. "I'll see you later?" he said to Quatre.

"Yes, you will. And I'm standing right here until you are on the ground safe."

"You don't have to do that. I meant at the party later."

"I know. I don't have to do anything I don't want to," Quatre assured him haughtily and then smiled.

Trowa returned a shy smile and shook his head.

"A kiss for good luck then?" Quatre asked.

Trowa let him wrap an arm around his neck and pull his face down. He let him tip his chin, tilt it just so, and opened his lips on command. He gave in entirely to Quatre's will.

Duo suspected that he would have happily jumped off the roof if Quatre had asked him to, he was so completely lovesick.

Quatre freed him and he wavered unsteadily on his feet. "Please, take care? A tightrope setup that far up looks very dangerous," Quatre said.

"Ah, yeah." Trowa, either deaf, dumb, mute, or all three- he was symptomatic of all three ailments—stumbled after Duo.

"Don't worry, Quatre," Duo chirped from some distance away. "He's done this before." Why he said that with so much confidence Duo didn't know. The roof work wasn't going to be a picnic.

When Heero stopped at a side door security box, Duo nearly had a panic attack. Had he turned off the security or left it on? He looked to Trowa for help, but that poor guy was too distracted by Quatre's presence to be of any use remembering anything, so Duo took a chance that Heero might notice the flickering LEDs and ask questions and glanced into his pocket at the device.

OFF! Shit!

He tapped the device and enabled the palace security again. Then he glanced askance at what Heero was doing.

Heero calmly applied a code to the side door security box, his attention focused wholly on what he was doing.

Duo's hands were shaking and hid them behind his back. Holy Toledo but that was close!

"I'll leave this unlocked so you can exit without setting off the alarms," the guard said, and then he led them up a narrow staircase, pushing open a flat trapdoor opening at the top. "This is it."

"Cool. Thanks, 'Ro. This speeds up the process great. I'll see you later… at the party, right?"

"I'll be there. Be careful."

"We will." Duo was glad neither Trowa nor Heero pushed the other off the roof as they switched places. He waved as Heero's dark head disappeared down the opening. When he looked up, Trowa was already straddling an eve and hefting about his tools.

"You know, this isn't how the TV guys do it," Duo said.

"Fuck them," Trowa said, succinctly.

"They rehearse. They go over and over and over what they're gonna do to get it juuuust right."

"Well, I just go in and do it right the first time."

No sooner had the words tumbled from the acrobat's mouth, than the tools tumbled from one of his hands. Duo launched himself at his friend's nearest limb, an arm, while gripping onto a handle for dear life. The handles were opportunely positioned protuberances for the accessibility of the roof repairmen and, luckily for them, were liberally spotted about the roof ridges.

Duo whispered a prayer of thanks for whoever it was who had built them and another to whoever might care to protect them, and then sent one more prayer out there to whoever might be listening, "Help me hold on!"


	12. And Now You Don't!

Chapter 12 – And Now You Don't!

* * *

"I'm okay," Trowa said in a gasp. He had a secure foothold and a safety line attached to another of the handles. His tools hung from a short tether line. He was good and prepared for anything, like the professional he was.

"I wasn't gonna say nothing about you and Quat—"

"-Good idea."

"But I am now."

"No."

"Yeah. Are you gonna be able to focus up here? 'Cause, you know, no job is worth dying for. I mean that. Not even this one."

"I'm fine, Duo. I can do this. I wasn't even thinking about him."

"The shit!" Duo yelled. "You nearly passed out from a kiss, man. You're brain's low on oxygen."

"I'm fine now. If you hadn't been here I would have been fine then, too. I take precautions, Duo. I know what I'm doing."

"Okay, okay…"

What they were doing was simple and approved by security; at least what the palace guard believed they were doing. This had something to do with a tightrope act for the next day, because Trowa had told them it was, but it wasn't.

In reality, Trowa was attaching guy wires to support and stabilize a structure over a skylight. Trowa attached five tensioned cables to the frame work in a radial pattern, while two trusted circus employees anchored the other ends to the ground. He was doing most of the work, while Duo backed him up and got instructions for what he'd be doing the next day.

The other part of their task was to test the support structure. Its purpose would be to carry Duo's weight as he propelled down through the skylight window, down, down, down 13 stories, or thereabout, directly into the crown jewels display room.

That was the plan. It would film _fabulously,_ Duo had been told.

From the roof, though, the display room was so far away and the lighted cases- open to the public for tours—melted into a single dot of light. Oh, my God.

He felt queasy for a second and had to close his eyes.

The experience gave him second and third thoughts, "Why am I doing this?" becoming his mantra.

"I hope your eager-beaver sentinel friend keeps his nose outta here." Trowa tested the lines one at a time. "I'm ready to cut the glass now. If something goes wrong—?"

"I know what to do!" Duo snapped. "Shove my foot through the glass and say I fell. Let's just make sure that doesn't happen. Okay… security is… definitely turned off. Go for it."

Trowa reached back into his pack for the handled suction cup, fixed it into place against the middle of the glass pane, and positioned the glass cutter at the top corner. "This is the one you want," he said.

Duo knew his friend one talked when he had something to say, so he treated this as important. "Okay."

"This is the tricky part," Trowa commented again. "I start at the top, which is hardest to get at."

Duo watched as he ran the cutter horizontally in a straight line along the glass. He admired the straightness, considering it was being done freehand—that took nerves of steel and sharp focus.

Because he didn't want to have to do delicate, finicky cleanup work while supporting a heavy piece of nearly-free the window in one hand, Trowa went back and cut the same line a second time, then did the same kind of cut down both sides, first on the left then the right.

"The slice across the bottom is hardest."

"I can hold the glass," Duo offered.

"Okay."

Duo carefully worked his fingers around the handle, feeling a grip.

Trowa hadn't let loose. "Got it? It _is_ heavy; brace yourself for the change in weight."

"Ready, steady, and set."

Left elbow braced against frame work, Trowa slowly released the handle, one finger at a time.

"I've got it fine," Duo assured him.

Trowa carefully cut away at the glass, once, twice then pocketed the cutter. "Done. Get ready to move the glass without slicing off any body parts."

At first Duo thought his buddy hadn't cut enough, but then, with unexpected speed, the pane angled backward into the empty space below them. Duo needed both hands on the handle and both elbows braced on the frame in order to keep control of the glass. He could feel the warmth of his friend's hands around his waist, providing support.

"It's pretty heavy," Duo said.

"Yeah, like I said."

Holding tight, Duo lifted the pane up and away from them both, keeping away the freshly cut edge, and then wrapped it in a cloth which had been buried in the backpack. "That's done."

Trowa handed him some rope. "Tie it down to the side there."

As he was securing the glass, he peered into the abyss below. "Geez, I can't believe I'm going down that."

It was a long way down.

"I'm taping the frame edges so nothing cuts the line," Trowa said and then ripped off a length of duct tape with his teeth. "Make sure you test all the lines before you go over the edge."

"I will." He wondered who would test his brain for insanity? He watched Trowa cover the opening with clear plastic wrap, in case it rained and breathed a little easier. At least he had a quick access route to the roof. "Thank you, Heero," he thought. That route hadn't been on the map he'd lifted. He hoped he hadn't missed anything else important because of an incomplete map.

Done, Duo returned the security system to "on" and the two men climbed back over to the roof entry door. Down the stairs and out the exit to find Quatre's anxiously awaiting them, or at least Trowa.

Quatre kissed Trowa to a breathless state the moment he appeared back on terra firma.

"I'm going in to change clothes," Duo told the oblivious pair. "See ya at the party."

(o)

The first person he recognized was his friend Quatre Winner, so as Duo entered the ballroom-turned-party central, he walked in his direction.

Quatre was an extraordinarily good-looking young man who _seemed_ to be entirely unaware of the fact—a trait that endeared him to Duo because it wasn't true. He was a little delicate, with a kindly expression, shy earnest eyes and untidy soft, blonde hair. He could work his appearance to his advantage until his business rivals learned not to underestimate him.

"If I wanted to put forth a tough-guy image I would smoke unfiltered Camels and drink Jack Daniel's out of a galvanized-iron shot glass," he once said.

Duo had warned, "But then you'd lose your edge."

"Don't I know it!" he'd laughed, completely accepting of his calculated wickedness.

From what Duo could see, Quatre was working this crowd, too. Dignitaries, actors, tycoons carried glassware brimming with alcoholic beverages, swarming the prince, the princess, and Quatre Winner.

Duo caught his attention and was waved over. "Looking good, Quat. Seen 'Ro?"

"Oh, he's here and you can't miss him." Quatre gave him a wicked smile. "Governor Solomon just arrived no more than a minute ago and has been asking for you," Quatre said excitedly. "He really does know you! Not that I doubted your word!"

Duo shot him a "forget it" smile and let his friend direct him into another knot of well-dressed folks. Even knowing his suit was a good one and fit well, he didn't feel completely at ease in the company of the elite. He'd let out his braid because there was no way he could hide it and not look like he was hiding something like a giant head. It got him second looks, which would have killed his chances of success, if he'd been working as a pick-pocket.

Still, he hadn't yet spotted Heero.

Trowa appeared at Quatre's other side from nowhere, it seemed, looking like a movie star from an action movie. The rakish hair always lent him that unconventional yet stylish edge that Duo envied a little. "Evening," Trowa greeted him.

"Yep, it is," Duo responded.

"Seen the princess's guard?" Trowa asked with a wry smile.

"No and I've been looking." That was all the time Duo had for that conversation, because Quatre had led him to the governor.

Governor Solomon give the impression that he was very pleased to see a fellow L2 colonial and childhood friend. Normally, a handshake would have been the appropriate greeting, but, Duo noted, the man had picked up the continental hug-and-kiss greeting on the way from rags to riches.

It wasn't all for show, though.

Solo used the opportunity to whisper into Duo's ear, "Good to see you, kid. Got your message. Thanks for the heads-up. I got her a real glittery bracelet."

Duo looked down and from a pocket saw the sparkle of diamonds and sapphires, both pink and blue. "Wow, hot stuff."

"Perfectly legitimate," Solo smiled to acknowledge his intentional play on the word "hot". "I paid good money for this…investment."

"Gonna give it to her?" Duo asked, pulling apart.

"You coming with me when I do?"

"Sure." Duo clapped the man on the back. "I've met her and her 'tall drink' of a brother. C'mon."

"The prince? Yeah, he's awfully like that White Fang leader—" Solo began.

"Shhh!" Duo warned. "Not a topic to be voiced aloud around here, okay? We can talk about it another time."

The Prince and Princess were pleased to meet Duo's illustrious friend. After the introductions were over, Duo stood back and observed. He learned more by watching faces than by listening to carefully crafted interchanges that passed for proper party conversation in polite society.

Solo was older than Milliardo by a couple years, stood nearly shoulder to shoulder in height and carried another ten pounds in muscle. He wore his shoulder-length, darker-than-honey colored hair parted in the middle and tied at the base of his neck in a short ponytail. As he kissed Relena's tiny hand, Duo could see that their hair matched. Yeah, his childhood friend cleaned up fine.

"As a gift from the colony of L2…"

Duo stopped listening and concentrated on Relena's expression as Solo presented her with the gem-studded bracelet. Oh, yeah! The lady liked the stones.

"… mined from the recently discovered sapphire mines of L2…"

Not only did she seem delighted by the gift, Duo liked the how her eyes lit when she gazed into the other man's eyes. Was this a romance in the making? He hoped so. He hoped to free Heero from her clutches. Even if things didn't work out for him and Heero, Duo wanted the other man to gain something, maybe even look back on his time with Duo as a good thing because it freed him from the princess' unwanted attention, if nothing more.

Speaking of Heero—where was he, Duo wondered again?

"You look nice."

The familiar voice from behind caught him off guard, especially since Duo had been just thinking about him. He spun on a heel and got an eyeful of Heero.

"Heee—!" Duo was unable to finish with Heero's name he was laughing so hard, or trying not to.

Although the party had been advertised as informal, everyone was in a suit and tie or fancy dress—certainly not casual. Duo guessed that the princess liked things on the fancy side, because she was wearing the only full-length gown, and her brother was suited in a military-like uniform—although nothing like his wartime red and white one—with plenty of gold braid and shiny brass buttons. So, despite the informality of the occasion, considering her tastes, it _shouldn't_ have come as a surprise that she'd have had her elite guardsmen costumed extraordinarily.

But it did.

Perhaps if Heero had simply worn a formal dress uniform patterned off his daily one, except in starched white or velvet black, then Duo would have recognized him earlier. As it was, Duo had passed over him, thinking he was a stuffy, old-school footman.

Pastel blue wasn't too bad a suit color; although, Duo could think of many more manly colors. The high-necked jacket was draped in gold braid and five-inch long, bullion fringed epaulettes embellished both shoulders, reminding Duo of dusters left there in error by the cleaning crew, and was altogether over-the-top awful.

Duo didn't mind the skin-tight fit of the pants; he would have liked to have seen Heero in them without the silly jacket obscuring the rear view, but when the lower pant legs were tucked into a pair of white leather boots glittering with gold buckles marching up both sides, and you combined that with the white, fringed gloves, the overall impression was what Duo could only think of as a carnival costume. Or the silly footman of yesteryear.

And then to top it all off, literally, and send Heero into the big ring of ridiculousness was the tall, white hat perched upon his head, mashing the dark hair into his eyes. The curling blue ostrich plume bobbed when he moved his head, as if to say, "I'm a dork."

Duo broke out into a belly-laugh.

Whatever kind words Heero had been about to say, melted on his lips. The testosterone in his body surged and his blood rose. The man had the self-control not to punch his lover in his wide, laughing mouth. The flare of his nostrils, drawn brows, and clenched fists were warning, though, of his annoyance.

"Inviting you was a mistake," he growled.

Duo drew a steadying breath. "Oh, man. Sorry, 'Ro, but in that getup you just don't look your intimidating self."

He held his stance a moment longer, and then the anger ran out and he relaxed a little. "I know. At least we aren't in pink."

"No!" Duo exclaimed, wide-eyed.

"Yes," Heero whispered. "That was _her_ first choice. Pargon told her we would all run if that happened."

"Glad he put his foot down. That man's got a good head on his shoulders. Um, I like the pants."

Color flooded Heero's face once again. "They're too tight."

"Yeah," Duo said with a dreamy tone to his voice. "It's why I like'em. Heh, heh. Listen, how much longer do you have to hang out here? Any chance you getting off soon, and I _do_ mean that in the dirty sense?"

"Two hours and my shift is over."

"You know which room is mine, don'tcha?"

"I do."

Duo smiled, as he turned on a little smoldering charm. "That's good."

"I wish it were sooner," the guard said, casting a quick glance over a shoulder. "It's time for the photo shoot. Both the prince and the princess will be wearing their crowns for the first picture of them together, and the last before Milliardo's coronation."

"Can I go with?" Duo asked, hoping there wouldn't be a problem to screw up his plans.

"Since I'm providing the security, I insist." This time Heero smiled warmly.

"Security, _bah_! There's no way you're carrying. No holster and no damn room under that jacket or in those pants for any sorta weapon."

"I manage," Heero said smugly. "We're going to the next room over."

Along the way, both Quatre and Trowa materialized, Quatre becoming involved at once in a discussion with both Relena and Milliardo over the move. And since there were no objections, clearly Quatre and his handsome friend would accompany them to the shoot as well.

Duo flashed Trowa a quick hand sign for "all is well", and Trowa shot him a sappy smile in reply.

The photographer had already setup for the shots in an alcove and so, it took no time from the moment the two figures struck a pose to complete the session.

When he had an opportunity, Duo asked Milliardo where he was hiding Wufei.

"He couldn't make it tonight," the prince said.

That jolted Duo out of his complacency for a moment. "He's okay, isn't he? Not sick, I hope!" Or in trouble, or has found trouble, or encountered any number of other untimely problems?

"He's well; thank you for asking." Mill smiled in a reassuring manner. "I'll see him tonight, later, as it happens. He simply wanted to double check a few important work-related details."

"No worries, then?"

"None at all." Mill removed his crown. "Would you like to hold this one?"

"Would I! Sure! Man, this one's heavy." Duo admired the glittery gems adorning them. Surreptitiously, he also checked for Howard's mark, which would have meant that it was a copy. "Hey, can I hold them both?" Duo asked as Relena's crown was passed to Heero.

"All right," Heero said. "One at a time. And don't drop them."

Trowa stepped into place just as Duo needed for him to do.

"Hey, Tro' lookit the size of this ruby!"

"It's large," the circus man commented, taking the crown in his hands for examination.

Duo waited for Heero to rest the smaller crown of Relena's into his hands. "Amazing, huh?" No mark was present; both crowns were the real deal.

Quatre took his cue and positioned himself properly to get a look. "Oh, let me! I've never touched anything like this before!" A lie, but he sounded so bedazzled Heero just stood by and watched as Trowa passed him one crown and took the other from Duo. "Is that the guard who's to deliver these back to where they belong?" the blond asked Heero.

There was another gaily dressed guard outside the door waiting in the shadows with two boxes obviously designed for transporting the valuable crowns.

"Yes," Heero said.

"Come, Trowa. Let's put them in the boxes for him!" And before Heero could object, Quatre had taken off with a crown with Trowa right behind him.

What could he say? Everyone could see the guard watching over the packing and the crowns being carried away with all proper etiquette. Duo felt a little bad for Heero, though, because what appeared to be one of the Sanc Elite Guard was really one of Winner's Maguanac Corps members. The carrying cases would be disguised as hat boxes later and stacked alongside countless other hatboxes of Relena's destined for the L4 colony.

When they re-entered the ballroom, Quatre began cheerfully introducing his sisters around. Only one, Iria, a doctor in the L4 colony, was familiar to Duo. The women were thrilled to be of service to Princess Relena, helping her move the next day. They extolled the virtues of L4 and described all the fun the lovely princess would have there. Maybe find a rich and handsome young man?

Solo had worked his way to Relena's side and before long, wrangled an invitation to visit Iria's estate. Duo knew his old friend had the touch for coming out on top and getting what he wanted. He always had.

After a bomb had leveled their neighborhood, he and the other orphaned kids had banded together. Solo, the oldest and a natural-born leader, kept them together and safe until an orphanage could take them all in. His name hadn't been "Solo" though; he had named himself that because he was alone in the world. He was "solo, man"-Solo Solomon.

He called Duo "kid" until Duo decided to call himself "Duo", because, as he said, "You're not alone. With me around, we're a duo!"

After a year at the orphanage, Solo had become a good-looking boy on the verge of manhood, nearly old enough to become a soldier, but he had been adopted, incredibly, by a man of position in the government, the District Attorney of L2, and then educated and groomed for the law and statesmanship.

Duo grew up to join the war effort as part of Howard's colony rebellion force, the backbone of the L2 sovereignty movement. The two kept in touch, although rarely, but the bonds of friendship kept them united in their hearts.

Duo gave Solo a thumbs up and Solo returned it with a silent thanks. Everything had gone smoothly. Duo was about to toast himself on his success, when he overheard an irritating voice at his back. He turned and observed a young lady sweep her long blond hair over a shoulder as she addressed Relena.

"I don't understand all this chaos going on!"

Relena looked puzzled but unruffled. "There's no chaos, Dorothy. Everything's under control."

"Control? Control of whom? There's all this packing up and storing, painting, cleaning, a circus performance and now I hear there's going to be a television company here filming tomorrow? That's insanity!"

"It's busy, but every year we have the circus come to open the summer season. It's all for the children in the inner city. Sometimes it's later in fall—"

"Don't you think it's a little curious that it's a _major_ refurbishing too? How's something not going to be lost in the confusion?"

"Dear, dear Dorothy… there's no confusion at all. We even have time for this party! It's all so well organized and we have so many trusted agents in charge."

"I don't know, 'Lena. It just the timing of so vast amount of moving and with the circus and the TV people, your security and guards will be stretched awfully thin."

"Oh, don't be so suspicious of everything."

Duo agreed with that. He wanted to strangle the vixen and stop her from seeding doubt in the mind of the princess or anyone else, but the pair walked out of his listening distance. Well, it was just too damn late for her to cancel everything, he hoped, and drank his glass of punch to the bottom.

Duo felt a hand on his shoulder and turned into the touch.

"You need me any more tonight?" Trowa asked him.

"Nope!" Duo grinned. "Got hot plans of my own. Have fun."

"I hope to." Trowa smiled, his cheeks a telltale pink, so that he hung his head and hid behind a curtain of bangs.

"Is there a problem?" Quatre strode up to them. He seemed anxious to get going.

"No," Duo said. "Not for me. But I was just gonna warn Tro' here about you."

"What about me?"

"What about him?" the circus man asked with a warning flicker of green in his eyes.

"Quat? He's up all night, which you won't mind, but then watch out! He's up again before the birds at the crack of dawn. I know you're capable of handling wild animals and ropes, so you'll _probably_ have no problem keeping him down."

"That true?" Trowa asked, the glint in his eye now eager rather than wary and the toothy smile totally disarming the blond.

"Of course not! I sleep just like anyone else. I simply wake up with ideas and can't go back to sleep until I I'm satisfied that—oh!" Quatre blushed all the way to the part on his scalp.

Trowa coughed into his fist.

"Took you long enough to get the bondage connection." Duo said, holding back his laughter.

"I think you've said enough, Duo. We both have," Quatre said tartly.

Not that Trowa minded a bit, Duo figured. If their joking around at Quatre's expense broke the ice between those two, then Duo felt it had been worth it. Duo watched as Quatre wrapped an arm over the circus man's shoulder and led him away.

A guest room had been reserved for Duo, too. Heero _had_ said he knew where to find him when he went off duty. He _had_ seemed interested, and Duo found that that was sufficient positive motivation to depart the party.

A young guard appeared in his path who insisted that he accompany Duo to the guest wing. Wouldn't want to have a thief wandering the halls alone. Of course, Duo had studied the maps of the place thoroughly and could have found his way in the dark, but he didn't want to tip off the man and give him a reason to start speculating about him.

"Thanks," he said, and trundled off alongside the younger man. "Nice place. Work here long?"

"Six months this week. It's a great job… an honor!"

"Yeah, I'll bet." Duo looked to the side, smiled and waved. There was no one there.

"Why did you do that?" the guard asked.

"For fun. You ever review the surveillance logs?"

"Um, no. That's never really done unless necessary. Mostly just spot- oh, I shouldn't talk to you about that."

Duo waved him off carelessly. "Not important. I once had that job, you see. Boring with a capital "B". So, when I see a camera, I try and spice things up for the operator, should there be one. Try it some time. It makes them feel like they aren't alone."

"Really? I never thought about it that way, but I can imagine having to look at hours of video from over fifteen cameras would get dull fast." The kid smiled, looking about fifteen years old, at most. "Maybe I'll wave next time."

"You do that. So, is this my room?" Duo asked, knowing it was. His invitation had specified the "Lavender Room."

"Yes, Mr. Maxwell!" His escort tipped his hat, topped with a smaller feather than Heero's, and stood at attention until Duo closed the door.

And, no, he wasn't locked in.

As he undressed and emptied his pockets on the bedside table, he became amused at the lack of contents. All those wealthy people, and not once had he given into temptation and lifted anything. He had learned that the security was as lax as he'd guessed, as he was counting on for the success of the next day's activities. Fifteen cameras were about what he and Trowa had estimated, too. No surprises then. Check off another worry.

He climbed into bed and switched off the light. The crescent moon was by then low enough in the western sky to shine in the window. No clouds. That was good; rain was an unwanted element. Filtered through the curtains, the moonlight cast a shimmering pattern of lace roses on the comforter and across the hardwood floor to the door, a strangely ominous sign.

Duo closed his eyes and gave himself to a succession of impressions from the day: the feel of Heero's body pressed against his in the stairwell, the look in Trowa's eyes when he slipped on the roof, the glint of the jewel-encrusted crowns which he'd held in his hands for less than a minute, the smell of the food at the party. As the pictures melted into one slowly moving picture show of the day's events, he felt himself drift into a state of semi-slumber.

The sound of the click of the door being opened triggered Duo's reactions and he sat up in bed fully alert, focused on the handle turning, tensing, ready to launch himself at an attacker.

Heero, the world's most handsome palace guard stepped inside, closing the door behind him. He looked vulnerable with his mussy hair, tie loose, jacket draped over one arm. "Can I come in?"

He looked spectacularly delicious in those molded-to-his-body pants.

"I'd be disappointed if you didn't." Duo folded his legs atop the bed and propped himself up on the pillows. "You have a perfect ass."

"Idiot." Heero chuckled, a little embarrassed.

He watched as Heero removed his clothing. And then he watched as the comforter moved down and Heero slipped under it and nestled next to him, absorbing his warmth.

"Just hold me," Heero said.

He was curled in a ball, his back to Duo. Tenderness for the other man overwhelmed Duo. He rolled towards him and draped an arm over his shoulders, gently pulling the guard closer. A shuddering wave of excitement passed through him and knew Heero had to have felt it, too. This cuddling wouldn't last long, Duo suspected, but he also knew that they were sharing something important, something special, something new.

Duo gave him permission to take over, and Heero did. Following the quiet overture of affection, the ecstasy of sex let loose an avalanche of feelings, one following the other in quick succession—desperate need, mounting desire, grateful release.

After a cursory cleanup with towels, the two lovers coiled around one another and fell into a deep, satisfying asleep.


	13. Large Scale Illusion

Chapter 13 - Large Scale Illusion

* * *

Heero arose from the bed, found his trousers, and patted the pockets for his cell phone. The room was completely dark. Gone were the dramatic moonlight shadows on the comforter, which now covered all but the top of Duo's head. He left his slumbering lover with a great deal of reluctance fully intending to seek advice.

He traversed the palace from the guest wing to the royal wings, while typing, one finger picking out the letters at high speed, an explanatory note to the princess for his intrusion.

He had given his dilemma a great deal of thought.

He had sensed for some time that Duo was up to something and felt the "something" centered heavily on the upcoming unlikely combination of characters and events. Wanting to save Duo from risking his neck meant that Heero would have to stop him from carrying out his plans. If only he knew what those plans were! Short of asking him directly (and he would have done it nicely, not a brutal cross-examination, maybe, but, sadly, it was too late now, the window of opportunity having passed) he had few choices of who else might know something.

He finished his text message, pushed "send", and tugged at a handful of hair in frustration. He should have just pressed Duo for information after sex. He had intended to do it—was that just a few hours ago? That had been his aim.

But. It just didn't seem right. He'd fallen in love.

He hadn't been able to question him after making love to him, and no good would come from criticizing himself for his weakness now. It was his job to protect the princess, first, and the prince and palace second. But, damn, he was going to throw protecting his lover into that duty list as well!

He stopped walking and knocked at a door. It opened a crack.

"Who is it?"

"Princess Relena, it's Heero."

"Oh!" The princess opened the door to her outer room and looked past him and side to side. "You came alone?"

"Yes. I left you a message. I have a problem."

"A message? I haven't been paying attention to my phone, Heero. I'm sorry, but can't this wait until the morning? It's been a busy night."

"No, it can't. I won't be long."

"All right, then." She waved him into the sitting room, scanning her text messages as she closed the door. "Your message isn't very informative."

He thought it was, but there was nothing to be gained by arguing. "I'll fill you in now."

Before taking a seat on the velvet settee, he glanced around and caught a glimpse of a man's dress suit coat in the coat closet, and the glittering bracelet on Relena's wrist, even though she appeared to have come from bed. Her hastily tied robe and tousled hair certainly made it seem as if she'd come from bed. He wasn't naïve. Obviously the woman had invited a man into her boudoir, and he could guess who.

"Attractive bracelet," he said.

"Thank you," she replied automatically. The tiniest frown formed a crease between her neatly tweezed brows. "It was a gift. From the Governor of L2. That's not part of why you woke me up, I hope?"

"No. I'm in charge of your safety here, and I have the feeling, a bad feeling, that the palace is about to be…attacked."

"That's not surprising, Heero. You accompanied me to the conference where the new Alliance threat was the main topic of conversation." She crossed her arms across her chest. "And tell me, Heero, since when did you start letting_ feelings_ frame your decisions?"

He looked at his hands, imagining how they looked as a child, holding a gun and being told to "follow your feelings" by his hit-man guardian.

"Feelings for_ me_ never caused you to change your course of action." Her voice had dropped to a whisper.

Frustration erupted. "You reference an imaginary romance while I am trying to explain a gut feeling!"

Flashing blue eyes met his as her temper flared. "Get to your point then, _guard_."

Yes, he wanted to protect Duo, but he also wanted to serve her as well, and angering her wasn't intentional. "Sorry. I can't put this any clearer than that. I have no proof, but my instincts tell me the Sanc palace is targeted."

"Men's intuition for danger?" she said letting the sarcasm seep through. "Never heard of it. My dear friend Dorothy, though, mentioned something along those same lines tonight. That the chaos leaves us open to strike or some sort of incident. I disagree."

"But-!"

"These are all well-known people, some even my friends, clearing the palace, performing, and, yes, even filming—"

Right, that! "What do you know about the television people coming here? What are they filming? I received very limited instructions, and those were to leave them alone."

"They are filming the circus performance, silly! It's in the circular I sent out. AOK Broadcasting Company has the rights re-broadcast the show to other parts of the city for those not invited. We only invite children from the less fortunate schools, you know."

"Yes, yes." He didn't want to get waylaid onto a philanthropic discussion and had to steer her back on track fast. "But you agree that with so much happening at once, my job of protecting you will be that much harder."

"Oh, I do, and I appreciate your concern, Heero, but the New Alliance will not be attacking us tomorrow. I think the best application of your skills will be put to use minding the children at the performance. Now, I am very tired and have a busy schedule tomorrow."

Relena pushed her honey-colored hair away from her face, baring, for a moment, an ivory shoulder. She adjusted her robe, saying, "Good night."

There was nothing to it but to take his orders and leave. "Yes, ma'am."

So, Relena didn't know anything was up. What was Duo's role then? He'd told him that he'd be helping his friend with the circus. Well, Heero would keep his eye on that and follow orders and hope he stopped Duo before he did anything illegal, if he was going to. Heero wasn't so certain it wasn't all in his imagination now.

Especially when Duo looked so innocent, so _appealing_ lying there in bed.

Heero tossed his clothes on the floor and slipped between the sheets and right into Duo's warmth. With a few more hours until daylight, getting more sleep was his highest priority.

(o)

He stirred, rose, and made a trip to the bathroom and a shower. When he returned, he could smell freshly brewed coffee and roses. On a table by the window, breakfast was laid out. Tiny clusters of blush-pink roses decorated a vase. Duo was still in bed, but awake and sitting up.

Heero stood in the middle of the room gazing in absent-minded wonder at the wish-list scene, which contained everything he could possibly want. It was then that Duo cast his feet over the edge of the bed and moved his way, very much a vision of his own.

His brown hair, freed from its binding, hung loose, draping over his shoulders and bare chest. He wore about his neck a gold cross on a chain and on his body, nothing. His violet-blue eyes blazed at the sight of him. He was on his feet and at his side moments later.

"Good morning," Duo said, running his hands up both of Heero's arms.

"Morning to you. I didn't think you'd be an early bird."

"I'm not, but you were gone, the bed was cold and this cute delivery boy brought us food."

"He's not still here, is he?" Heero's glance swept the room for signs of lurking delivery boys.

"You want him to be? Because I'll let you in on a secret—I'm not into threesomes, sweetcakes."

"Nor am I. I was just asking." Heero smiled and Duo smiled back. Heero let him draw him over to the table and push him backward into a chair.

Duo draped himself across his lap, using one hand to play with the small hairs on the back of his neck. "If we opened the curtains all the way, we could catch the sunrise." He lowered his lips to Heero's and pressed a kiss on him.

Heero kissed him back, briefly, and then said, "I'll pass on the sunrise."

"Fine with me."

"There is something I'd like."

Duo kissed an ear. "Now?"

Heero chuckled. "Not_ that_. I do want to eat, but I'd like some clothes. Pants at least."

Duo hopped off. "Okay. One order of pants, coming up."

They both pulled on shorts and the pants they'd worn the night before, and then sat in the comfortable armchairs to eat.

"Did you order this?" Heero asked.

"Yeah, it was an option: room service or the dining hall. I figured we could splurge and draw out our time together this way."

"Good choice."

"If you want your regular uniform delivered, I can call that in," Duo told him.

Tempting as that was, Heero declined. "My shift begins in fifteen minutes. I'll change back at the barracks."

"Oh, okay." Duo dropped his fork and pushed away his plate. "So much for a leisurely start to the day."

"I had the choice of last night or this morning. Was I wrong?"

"No. Last night was awesome."

Heero felt a strong hand wrap around his. He felt so connected to the other man, so complete. He wished he could make the knot of unease and uncertainty go away. "I thought so, too."

He stood, pulling Duo up off his lap, holding him in his arms in a show of strength. He liked the feel of Duo clinging to him, chuckling, as he sucked on his lower lip. He ended the romantic gesture with a gentle kiss and set Duo on his feet. "Maybe later?"

And instead of the ready positive reply Heero expected, Duo stalled.

"Um, ah, let's see how the day goes before making any plans."

Yeah, he was putting him off, all right. Heero just nodded curtly. "You'll be around the circus acts?"

"That's the plan."

Damn if the man didn't look guilty! He didn't want to part with bad feelings, so he carefully worded his next remarks to convey some level of trust in his lover.

"I have rounds to do inside the palace, and then I am to stay around the circus area to see that the TV crew stays within the security guidelines. So I'll see you?"

"Yeah, I'll be pretty busy, but we might cross paths. You're concerned about the TV guys?"

Heero tried not to measure the intensity of Duo's apprehension, but it was there; it registered by the agitated twisting of the tip of his braid and the hard edge to his voice. "The Chang Antiquities Company, Winner and his sisters – those are known and trusted entities who will be at work here." He paused to smile. "Even the circus performers don't bother me."

Duo relaxed his shoulders and released his braid. Heero felt rewarded by the return of his smile, weak but present. "The freaks don't freak you out, heh?"

"No. They've never brought problems in the past, and knowing that Trowa is a friend of yours helps." He gauged the effect of his words on Duo and decided the conversation was going well. "Who I am _not_ comfortable to have milling about the palace is the AOK television people."

"Oh?"

He couldn't interpret Duo's reaction, so he continued on with what he'd planned to say. "So, I wonder if you'd do me a favor?"

"If I can, sure."

"If you notice the TV guys doing anything…suspicious, like entering the palace without an escort or, oh, I don't know… snooping around? Just give me a call. Okay?"

The blood rushed to his face, which, again, Heero wasn't sure how to read.

"You trust me?" Duo asked.

"Yes." Heero hoped he was right, that Duo just might stay out of trouble to please him. Maybe. It was worth a try, wasn't it?

Duo rushed at him. "God, Heero!"

Their mouths joined and limbs intertwined. Duo's strong fingers massaged up and down his back, their bare chests, hard and firm, pressed together so hard that Heero felt the cross and chain. Would they leave an impression, he wondered? And then his phone alarm signaled that is was time for him to go.

"I have to—"

"—go, I know. So do I."

With that, Heero collected his clothes, buttoned on the shirt, and carried his dress jacket, gloves, and hat.

"We _will_ see each other afterwards," Heero insisted.

Duo nodded but didn't really meet his eyes.

That cursory agreement was all he'd get, so it would have to do, Heero decided, and then left the room.

He ran to the barracks and changed into his everyday uniform. He was behind schedule but there was nothing he could do about that except move quickly. His heels clicked on the wood floors, rugs already rolled away for cleaning. Walls laid bare showed worn spots, faded areas where paintings were missing. He heard a hard-edged voice bark out orders at low volume, and found a man about his own age standing in a room, black hair tied back in a ponytail. At the sound of Heero's footsteps, the man turned to face him, and he could tell the man was ethnically Chinese, and with a definite military bearing. Young as he was and perfectly groomed in his business suit, Heero felt he'd look just as correct in fatigues holding a machine gun. He'd seen a fighter so very much like him before, in fact.

"Careful with that! It's priceless!"

"Chang of Chang Antiquities?" Heero asked.

"Obviously. I'm busy, as you can see, so unless there is a pressing security problem you can't put off until later-?"

"We haven't met before." Heero offered his hand and a card. "I'm Heero Yuy. I won't get in your way; I'm here to provide security. Should you need me or see anything suspicious, this is my contact number."

Mr. Chang examined his face before taking the card. "Yuy. Yes. Thank you."

There wasn't a look of recognition exactly, but of something else, possibly understanding, and then the man stepped back.

"I do not expect to encounter any problems," Chang said.

"Nor do I," Heero said and left the man to his work.

To his surprise, Heero ran into the prince helping guide a large canvas into a storage crate of remarkably fine craftsmanship. "Can I help you with that, sir?"

Milliardo gestured for him to move on. "Just lending a hand. There." He patted the crate and another minion hefted it away.

"I'm sure they appreciate the help," Heero told him.

"It is my job, actually," the prince said, tossing stray strands of his platinum hair over his shoulder. "Protecting the assets of my kingdom. I am used to an active life and this makes me feel… useful."

Heero smiled, unsure how to respond. He wasn't comfortable holding a conversation with the man, at all, considering their entangled, past histories. "Should you need me—?"

"Yuy? Yes, I have your security number on autodial. Thank you. And now I must run. I'm running late for my salon appointment."

"Yes, well," Heero murmured. He'd been politely dismissed. "At your service, sir."

He bowed and hurriedly took his leave. He could have sworn he heard chuckling behind him. "Glad to have provided some entertainment," he muttered.

He watched the prince exit the building and jump into his Miata convertible the instant a servant drove it around to the door.

"Nice to have time on your hands," he said to no one and then marched away to see how Relena's packing was coming along.

After the no-nonsense efficiency of the Chang Antiquities packing, Heero was confounded by the bubbling exuberance filtering out of the private wings. How would the job ever be done if women were playing games in there?

Boxes labeled with the contents like "evening shoes", "travel gloves", and "Pink hat #4" lined the hall leading to Relena's suite. A man wearing unusual clothes and an ID badge permitting him security to come and go freely from the palace, lifted a stack of boxes laden with coat bags and carried them to a side exit door. Holding it open was another similarly dress man who on seeing Heero snapped him a salute before stepping aside to let the other man pass.

"Palace Security!" Heero shouted. "May I see your identification?"

The man at the door shrugged and in a heavily-accented voice said, "Of course. Please see Master Winner, though for our permits."

Taking the card from "Amir Habib", Heero couldn't make out a word of the ornate script. He did recognize the Winner Corporation insignia adorning the man's badge, and returned the card.

"Thank you. How many employees of Mr. Winner are here today?" he asked, doing his own visual count—four.

"Ten. Master Winner has all the names and a complete accounting of us all for your convenience." Amir smiled broadly, showing a mouthful of over-large teeth, and then disappeared out the door.

Ten!

Heero wanted to find Quatre and make sure these were his employees, so he walked into the main room. He passed over the handsome, young corporate executive twice before registering that the young blond in the rolled up shirtsleeves, jeans, and sandals was Quatre Winner, and then only because he jumped to his feet and ran up to him.

"Heero! I'm so glad you stopped by. I wasn't certain if I'd get to see you today, and I so wanted to introduce you to some of my sisters!"

Some? There were six nearly identical ladies in this room, who, from Heero's trained eye, resembled Quatre. Were these his sisters?

"First, tell me, the men wearing the red fez hats are your employees?"

"Yes! Sorry, but everyone is so busy today. The man in charge of the movers, Rashid, now… where did he go?"

"That's all right, Mr. Winner, if you'll just give me a list of their names. All… ten of them? Is that the correct number—?"

"Call me Quatre, please. We are friends, aren't we?"

"Yes, but I'm on the job now."

"And I am not. This is my day off! Ha, hah, ha…! So, let me introduce you here to a few of my sisters. I have 26."

"Sisters?!" Heero felt Quatre was pulling his leg. "You're kidding me."

"Oh, no, he isn't," one of the ladies said, leaving the closet and coming closer. "I'm Iria."

Heero was shaking her hand when Quatre stepped in to complete the introductions.

"Iria, meet one of Relena's elite guards, Heero Yuy."

"Twenty-six is… a lot," Heero said, feeling stupid after making such a vapid remark.

"It is, but only our little brother and the sisters that are here today share the same mother," Iria told him with sparkling blue eyes the color of Quatre's. "Our father had seven wives."

Heero, a little stunned to learn Quatre's father had seven wives, wondered at the man's sheer stamina, which was an embarrassing thing to think about and caused the blood to rush to his face. He hated his blush response.

The sisters all giggled and said adoring things about "shy Heero" to the point that he had to scuttle away to retain any dignity at all, or at least carry it away with him. How could Quatre stand it all, the flouncy dresses, the packing, the giggling and squealing of flighty females and be so cheerful?!

Well, they were his family. Possibly that explained it.

Fresh air was what he needed, so he headed for the door, hoping to run into Duo. A fine mist chilled his hot face, which felt great, but if it turned into rain, that could end the acrobatic acts, at the very least. He thought he'd see how the circus was holding up and how it dealt with the weather.

Costumed folks dashed here and there, intent on their own business. He looked around for a familiar face, Duo or Trowa, and was disappointed not to see either one. Resigning himself to wandering around on his own, sucked all the pleasure out of his job.

And then he remembered Quatre had never given him that list of his men, or an accounting of them! He was about to turn back when he heard his named called.

"Heero! Hi! Remember me, Catherine? Trowa's sister? My soup?"

Oh. _That_. "Yes, hello."

"Trowa told me to be on the lookout for you and you're the only palace guard I've seen set foot out of the building."

"Why? Is he looking for me?" Heero asked, hopefully.

"Oh, no, he's busy. Busy, busy, bizzzz-zzzeee. No, he asked me to show you around." She linked her arm with his and led him under the tent, and from there on out, he listened as she chattered on about the circus.

"Our entertainers have come from all over the world, including a chair balancing act from the Moscow State Circus, a trapeze artist who is also a master magician and illusionist from L3."

"Who's that?" Heero asked.

"Trowa Barton." She smiled and jabbed at his side with an elbow. "You could have guessed that."

"He was feeding the big cats when I first saw him. He's not an animal trainer?"

"No, he's not, but he likes to take care of them. Everyone has to do many jobs at the circus."

"Where are the animals?"

"The only big animals we brought today are the horses, llamas and trained dogs. No man-eaters or elephants. To see those you have to go to the big show. They are just too much work to bring for a single performance. Properly caring for these animals creates quite an expense, so for economic reasons our circus often tours without them. One of our acts, not to be missed, features a miniature dancing horse…"

Heero half-listened to her commentary as he continued to observe the circus crew preparing for the arrival of the children of Sanc. In the distance, he could see the brightly colored circus train, the crated animals and equipment being moved into place on the palace grounds, the damp flag barely flapping atop the tent.

"And if it rains?" he interrupted.

Catherine made a face. "What a killjoy you are!"

Maybe he was, but as it started to rain lightly, he wondered where Duo was. The noise of a different kind and a tangle of heavy cables drew his attention to where the television crew was setting up—in the opposite direction they'd been walking. Had it been intentional? It did seem as if she had been leading him further and further away from the bustle.

Paranoid or not, it was his job to follow up on his suspicions.

"Thank you for the informative tour, but I have to get on with my perimeter check. Excuse me," he said and stepped away, putting as much distance between him and Trowa's chatty sister as he could, as fast as he could.

There was something he'd been about to do. It was just out of reach of his brain. Something he had been about to collect. Some list.

And then he spied a lineup of the Sanc guard, intently watching the television company's activity. Strings of lights and large spotlights hovering like giant eyes on tall stalks were linked by bright yellow power cables, microphones on long booms, and cameras, several of them, all manned by a massive crew of men and women, hundreds it seemed at first.

The guard watched the activity, but not with an eye to security, Heero thought. No one was asking for ID's!

He marched up to one of his co-workers and demanded, "Richards, have you identified everyone working here?"

"Um, not yet, sir."

Heero saw a small figure open a side door. "Look there! Who was that entering the palace?"

"Ah, she looked to be a palace servant, from the dress and the alarm didn't go off."

"But you don't_ know_! No, don't go after her. I will. You stay by this door and maintain security." Heero swung about and shouted at the other guards ogling the TV glamor. "Start collecting ID's! Do your jobs!"

He huffed off hoping he wasn't too late to catch up with the secretive figure, and ran directly into a tall man he identified immediately.

Mr. Treize Khushrenada, wearing his visitor ID badge prominently on his lapel.

"Watch where you are going young man! Do you think I'm a door?"

"A _door_? No, I'm sorry. I'm in a hurry. If you'll excuse me, I'm after a potential criminal." He wasn't really, but it sounded like a good enough justification to Heero.

Concentrating on his quarry meant he didn't give the phenomenon the attention it deserved. And it was a phenomenon worth noting. It was rare that producer Mr. Khushrenada, who was also the corporate president of AOK Broadcasting Company, made an appearance at an ordinary television filming.

What had the man been doing in the palace building, he wondered? He hadn't even asked him! Heero spun around just in time to see the man exiting the door. Just inside were the guest Men's and Ladies' restrooms, probably the nearest ones to the filming. Explanation enough for now. He had surveillance tapes to look over and right now, an unidentified intruder to locate!

Which direction to go?


	14. Misdirection

Chapter 14 - Misdirection

* * *

The cameras were intrusive in ways Duo hadn't suspected. In the studio, they'd been kept out of the way, on the periphery of his vision. He'd been engaged in conversations, looking into faces of strangers and Hilde- and he'd been talking. Stuff he was good at and could do in his sleep, and often did.

Hundreds of feet in the air, on the rain-slicked roof, in the mist, _no_, downpour, as he hooked the guy-wires to his harness, the cameras were not disappearing. He wondered why he'd gone along with this part of the plan. Trowa was the extractor guy. He belonged up here. Of course, he couldn't be up here on TV—he wouldn't have allowed that!—and unloading the treasury at the same time.

As he stretched to reach a cable line overhead, his foot slipped on the wet surface and Duo felt himself slide to his death. He scrabbled desperately for a finger hold onto the roof plates; his feet flailing for something to connect with. But first, one of his attached lines went taut, held fast as it was intended to do, and stopped his glide to oblivion.

He wanted to scream in terror, but then thought, "How would that look on TV?" Besides, once he was sure the cables were holding, all he had to do was pull himself back up to the top, connect the rest of the lines, and get down to business.

He grinned into the camera, while checking on the proximity of the overhead microphone, and figured he was ready for his close up. "Just testing," he said.

He imagined how _that _would look to the viewers- **Rocking Good** - and began hauling his ass back up the roof.

Safe again, he double-checked that he'd shut down the security system. All systems go.

It wasn't easy for Duo to get through the glassless roof window. He had to trust the trusses, which now looked impossibly thin, to carry his weight. He couldn't count on the metal window frame for any support. To the harness he was wearing, Duo snapped on the secondary and tertiary wires, which stabilized him and provided back up to the lead wire.

One more detail to go... He ripped off a length of duct tape with his teeth and secured the umbrella to the peak of the metal framework he and Trowa had erected over the open skylight. Dry could only help. Now, it was time to boogie.

Trowa had trained him. He'd practiced and executed moves like this before for other aerial-approach robberies. Duo could do this, but he didn't like it.

He firmly gripped the overhead pole with both hands and sprang off the roof, vaulting up and over the pole in a simple rotation, pressing his stomach to the metal pole. When his legs straightened, he was hanging by his hands and the wires down into the opening, feet first.

He forced a grimace into a smile and winked into the camera. "Here I go."

He said a silent prayer and let go.

The wires held. He didn't swing; he hung like a spider, but felt more like the captured, bundled prey of one.

Ever so slowly, he enabled the motor that let out the main line, and down he went.

Despite the drizzle, compared to where he was now it had been bright outside, and the further away he dropped from the roof, the murkier it became. Below, his destination was reduced to a pinpoint. He let out the line at a uniform speed, and even though it felt as if it was taking forever to make the descent, the next time he looked down his target was only twenty feet away. The crown jewels, or the facsimile thereof, arranged on their stands, awash in dim, golden lights seemed to beckon him nearer.

_Mesmerizing,_ he thought.

(o)

Hilde walked the hall to the service elevator, costumed as part of the custodial staff. There was a TV employee fiddling with a surveillance camera.

"What are you doing?" she asked. She figured Duo had already cut security, but she didn't understand what he did or how he did it so that the camera still seemed to be working.

"Replacing these with our cameras. We have better lenses, but they have position."

"Palace security okayed that?" she doubted they'd been informed. Duo didn't know about this. These would be camera's recording their actions, hers included, and would be actionable. She didn't trust "legal"; in fact, the people she trusted she could count on the fingers of the three-toed sloth—Howard, Duo, and herself.

The man laughed, which was answer enough.

"How many are you, ah, upgrading?" She smiled charmingly. "I want to look my best, you know?"

He told her. Now, what to do with that information? Duo was busy with Trowa still or on the roof already—in any case, he was in no position to fuss with cameras. She needed to get in the underground passage pronto and didn't know where the others were, but could guess.

She gave herself ten minutes to locate Quatre or Wufei, either would do, and ran into palace security instead. "Oh!"

Killer blue eyes bore into hers. "What are you doing? Who are you?"

"I-I'm a production assistant with the AOK Broadcasting Company." She turned up her charm a notch. "Wow, you ever think about getting into pictures? I'll bet when you smile girls turn to jelly."

Wrong choice. His frown deepened, and she didn't think he needed angled lighting to make him appear any more dangerous.

"And guys, too!" she added in as perky a fashion as she could muster. She _was_ an actress, after all.

That turned out to be another wrong choice. His hand moved to rest on what she guessed was a hidden sidearm.

He growled. "Identify yourself."

"Hilde Schbeiker. You can clear me with Duo Maxwell." She prayed silently.

His intense glare bore down on her, but she stood her ground. "You know who _he_ is, surely." She _hoped _the guard did.

"Yes, I do." He tapped at an ear receiver/microphone, activating it.

"Yeah," she said. "He's a bud of mine."

"You delivered food to his apartment."

"Hey, that's right; that was me. Say, I'm kinda busy right now."

Heero signaled her to shut up as he appeared to listen intently. "Duo?"

(o)

Softened by black velvet surfaces, the glittering crowns, gold encrusted scepters, and dazzling gems stones looked like the real deal. While considering which item to begin with, Duo unzipped his backpack, and almost hit a camera, dangling from a cable near his head. He'd completely put the filming out of his mind for a moment, but that had distracted him, and being caught off guard almost fried his patience. He was, in fact, sorely tempted to send it flying across the room.

And then his cell phone buzzed.

"For Christ's sake!" Who would be calling him now? It could only mean something had gone wrong. "Damn!" He did manage to locate and pull it out. When he saw the ID, he took Heero's call, even though he was hanging in space and being televised. "Whatssup?"

"I have secured an intruder who claims you know her. Hilde—"

"Hey, I can't hear you very well."

"Hold on." Heero cut him off.

Duo didn't figure he had much choice _but_ to hold on.

(o)

"Hold on." Heero pulled out his cell and used that without the earpiece. "Where are you to get poor reception?"

"Um… hanging around? So, who're calling about?"

Hilde was startled to hear Duo's voice, Heero talking to Duo.

"Hilde … She-beck-er?"

"Hilde? Yeah, she's with the circus and working with the TV guys. Problem?"

"I will determine that. She's dressed like one of the cleaning staff."

Duo's voice was muffled for a second, "I can't tell you why… maybe her clothes got dirty and someone gave her those to wear? I don't know everything, but she's an old friend of mine—"

"She brings you food from the restaurant."

"Yeah, you remember? Well, she's been helping out the circus and I know she's involved with the filming."

Hilde waved her arms and jumped up and down. "Tell him there's new TV camera's being installed where security cameras were!"

The guard looked surprised at this news.

Duo shouted, "TV liaison! TV-circus-Hilde-me- see how that works? Treat her nice, 'Ro!"

Row? Hilde rolled that name over a bit. Could this "Row" be the Hee_ro_ Duo had mentioned? Duo's _hero_? Hubba, hubba! Lucky Duo.

"Understood, Duo. Over."

"Um, I guess no one from the studio got permission to do this?" she asked sweetly.

"No. You belong outside."

Remembering what she'd overheard Duo say, she made up a cover story. "I know, but I fell in mud and then I got these clothes and then I need to use the ladies room, and then I saw one of the TV guys where I hadn't expected him—"

"Show me where the cameras have been changed out."

"Down this hallway," she showed him, pointing one way. "Two cameras were to be used, one high and one low, for panning forward."

"The circus is not performing inside."

Gears clicked. Obviously, the movie work was all being done outside and Duo was keeping "Row" out of the plan.

"Yeah, I apologize. They wanted some inside shots. I told the guy to stop and he's gone."

The handsome guard with the serious stare was already disabling the cameras. "Are there more?"

"One, around the corner and that's it."

"Security has been shut off," the young man muttered. Not to Hilde but into his hidden mouthpiece. "Get on that," he ordered someone, somewhere.

Hilde wished she could warn Duo and hoped that however he had cut the security, that he had done some damage while he was at it. She'd need all the time she could get in order to get word to him. Her cell buzzed and she snagged a moment to peek at it.

"Boxes in place :)"

Well, how sweet! That meant she had to get to the tunnel straightaway and not bother searching for them. Thank you... Quatre, I'll bet, she thought, guessing he'd be the most thoughtful.

"So, um, the ladies room?" Hilde danced a bit to demonstrate her urgent need.

"By the door. Wait—"

She didn't wait. While he was teetering on a table hands full of camera equipment, she dashed away. "Thanks!"

She wasn't about to get stuck babysitting "Row" any longer or wait for the security system to cut back in, which meant that she didn't wait around for the elevator. From the map, she'd seen the stairwell wouldn't go to the basement, but if she went up a floor she could catch the elevator down and, hopefully, avoid the blue-eyed menace. "Wouldn't you know Duo'd go for a cop!"

Hilde's evasiveness worked out. She quickly located the passageway's entry door- unlocked!—which meant that the security system was still offline. "Breathe. You did good, dear," she congratulated herself.

Without wasting a moment more, she entered the underground tunnel, which ran from the palace to the treasury building. She nearly tripped over the two empty hatboxes stacked one on top of the other. "Jesus, they're big!" And heavy. "Duo, you really planned this perfect!"

"How's my time? Ten minutes! I'll have to hurry." Actually she was doing great. She'd padded her schedule well. All she had left to do was travel out of the palace, cross under the city streets, and find the spot where she was to lie in wait for a signal from Zechs.

The tunnel was pitch black.

"Glad I brought this," she pulled out a tiny bright flashlight, "and got one small enough that Mr. Suspicious didn't notice it!" She smiled to think of breaking down under his questioning. "Anything, Row, anything you want!"

Well, a girl could dream. So dream she did, but this time she saw the face of that other actor, the one named Gregory, who had slugged Duo in the mouth. Something real had been behind that punch. She felt it. Imagine if she and Gregory had actually discovered true love in an artificial setting like that? Why, that was like magic?! Was that how it worked for movie stars? Inject some of your own personality into the character, and _voila_!? All it took was Duo insulting her brilliant new idea, and Wow! Powee! Yeah, maybe she'd look him up later, in a week or so?

When she flashed her light around, it exposed rough walls hewn from solid rock. And a darker something in front of her. She took it slow, stopping to shine light upon cracks and hunks of cement and plaster which had crumbled off the walls, making the floor uneven and treacherous. "They haven't cleaned up here since the bombing of the first war," Hilde remarked. "ACK!"

A crevasse yawned at her feet. It didn't take up the entire floor, but the path to go around it was narrow. She looked at the space, thinking. Then she walked over to the irregular wall and banged on it to check for loose rock.

It was solid.

"Great. Get rid of these…" With an effort, she hurled both boxes across the opening, hearing them bounce hard when they struck the other side. "Now for me."

Fussing about in the dark, she stuffed the flashlight in a pocket and climbed the wall, finding toe and finger holds in the tiniest crevices and crannies, moving steadily, angling over to the right as she went, and passing the gaping hole. She only had to climb about ten feet, which didn't give her much room to show her skill, but it was apparent she had some. The floor spread out looking solid again and she dropped.

Wiping the grit from her hands was necessary before she could grip the light, collect the hatboxes, and trot on. "I'm gonna bill'em for that. Neither wall climbing nor stunt work were in the contract."

She saw a light flash in the distance and wondered if her eyes were playing tricks on her in the dark, but stepped up her pace just in case it was her contact on the other end.

"Light at the end of the tunnel- at last. I hope it's a good omen."

(o)

Milliardo parked his Miata in the private underground parking space provided to him by the Sanc treasury. He recognized the other vehicles as those belonging to his old White Fang comrades from the war. While the party had been in full swing, his loyal team had moved in. So when the treasury building's day-shift security enjoyed a day off, Milliardo's White Fang loyalists took over their posts.

"Everything still running smoothly?" he asked the team leader.

"Building secured and ready for further instructions, sir."

"I have two more items to collect, but don't let that stop you from opening the vault. I'll supply the codes now."

"Yes, sir. We have reinforced dollies for moving the contents, as you specified."

"And we shall need them. The bouillon is heavy and will take us time to transport. I just heard from Barton. The train is moving into position."

"And the smaller items? You want those bagged separately, correct, sir?"

"Yes, they are in blue velvet bags, all of them; I checked the records. And you have the backpack?"

"Yes, sir. Sewn to the exact measurements you indicated."

Milliardo signed off and concentrated on his own task. He supplied entrance codes to the secured basement doors and entered the treasury building, heading directly for the underground tunnel connection to the palace.

He discovered a junction box at the tunnel access. "So there are lights." He flipped on switches. "Now, we'll see how many are operable."

Studying the security records of the past three years, he had deduced that the tunnel had not been in use, and since he believed in being properly prepared, he'd brought a pair of flashlights. Dim illumination for the first few hundred yards let him see well enough to dash at full speed, but after that he noticed that every other bulb was out and the ceiling dropped. He cut his progress bent double and still bumped his head as the tunnel lowered and the gloom deepened. From that point on, he slunk along holding a flashlight, gritting his teeth against hollering out Hilde's name. He did hope she'd earned Duo's trust by being punctual.

Finally, he stopped and remained crouched, staring into the darkness. After less than a minute has decided to sit and stretch out his legs, and there he waited, occasionally flashing his light into the distance in hopes that Hilde would spot him and move faster.

He'd preferred working with Wufei, getting the art into the crates, and was sorry to have to leave him before everything was fully loaded. After he ran through all the work left for Wufei, and hoped he had enough help from his employees, Mill began to wonder if the crates wouldn't be suspiciously heavy once the jewels were concealed inside.

"Don't worry about what you have no control over!" he chastised himself.

The jewels. He might as well burden his mind over them.

He completely trusted his men to empty the vaults and properly stow the crown jewels. Complete faith in them. What he wasn't sure about was the Hilde woman doing her part. Once the White Fang men extracted the crown jewels from the treasury, Mill would transfer them to her so she could take them to Wufei.

"Damn that Maxwell!" He hoped Duo Maxwell had a backup plan if the Hilde girl didn't come through at that end. He didn't think he'd fit in the tunnel if he had to go it alone. And Wufei would have a fit if he sent one of the White Fang men to meet him. That would be tempting fate, wouldn't it? No, he'd be better off dislocating a shoulder to pass through the tunnel, if it came to that, than to send one of his men. No, it definitely would not be worth the anxiety that would cause his highly strung lover.

There was another way. If she didn't show up here, he could entrust the Barton clown with the crown jewels and the wealth of the kingdom—he chuckled to think he was doing that on the word of a thief! He flashed his light down the tunnel again, thinking "come on."

Maybe it was real or maybe it was just based on the strength of his willpower, but this time he thought he saw a flicker in response. He heard a scrabbling sound coming his way and automatically placed a hand under his jacket to unsnap the holster holding his gun in place.

"Christ! This is one hell ova fucking tunnel! Here, take these!" A young woman shoved two hat boxes at him. "And-!"

He brushed back his tousled, white bangs and looked up into her face and smiled.

"Holy Shittola! You're a-a," she pressed her hands over her mouth and whispered, "you could be a stand-in for the prince."

"You think so? I've been told there's a resemblance," he said, amused by her absolute shock.

"Oh there is! You could do a 'Prince and the Pauper' trade or make that movie! I can't believe Duo didn't warn me. Oh, I will _so_ get him for this."

"Later, perhaps? For now, follow me. The… items… you will be taking to Mr. Chang should be ready."

"Yeah. No rush. I can use a rest and a drink—water'll do. That tunnel needs a lotta repair, I can tell you. Hey, lights! I didn't think to look for switch back at the other end."

"Don't worry. They don't operate far in from this end; they are just as likely to be insufficient at the other."

When the pair emerged from the tunnel and fifteen minutes later, the transfer of the crowns-for-jewels was complete. Mill had the two royal crowns fit for a king and queen loaded into the boxes Hilde had brought with her. He'd never worn the King's crown and now, never would. Thank God. He imagined Winner had the lesser "Prince and Princess" pair packed up and on their way already, or soon to go to L4 with Relena. Where they would all be safe, he hoped.

Hilde finished adjusting the straps to the fully loaded, and very heavy backpack at the entrance to the tunnel. "What's in here, the whole treasury?"

"Not quite, but treasure the contents as if it were," Mill warned her. "Here's a bottled water, and these two boxes to carry. Will you be all right? Can you handle them all?"

"Yeah, yeah. It's not far and nothing will break if I have to throw them a few feet, right? Big gaping hole in the floor."

"That sounds dangerous. Do take care of yourself. The items inside are well-padded, so don't trouble yourself worrying about them, just be careful. You know where to find Mr. Chang?"

"I have a number to call and he will meet me and take the backpack. I can't get caught wandering the halls of the palace again. One run-in with that 'Row' dude was enough."

"'Row'? You mean Hee-ro, Heero Yuy? He stopped you before?"

"Yeah, and Duo cleared me, but a second time would be suspicious. I gotta exit near the ladies room, and as long as I'm not carrying loot, I'll be okay doing that. Don't worry. I hear this Chang guy is very reliable."

"Oh, he is and he is extremely punctual so you'd best leave immediately."

"He better not be crabby. I've had enough of _prima donnas_, I can tell ya. You, though, you've been _awesome_! Thanks and don't forget about the movie thing. You'd be great in it."

"I won't forget. Goodbye, Hilde."

(o)

"We are all loaded and ready to take the van out to the airstrip, Master Quatre."

"Thank you, Rashid!"

To an outsider, the contrasting pair might have looked comical. Rashid was a dark-haired, mustached, swarthy man who stood two heads taller and nearly a shoulder's-width wider than the smooth-skinned, fair and much younger Quatre. Whereas one man looked weather beaten the other appeared fresh as a daisy. Rashid, leader of the Maguanacs Corps, had been an old and dear associate of Quatre's father, and upon the man's death, transferred that friendship to the son. As was his custom, Rashid treated the younger man with deference.

"Also, Pargon is packed and ready to depart with us."

"Oh, that's good! I'm glad he agreed to leave with you and not hold out until the princess was done. Thank you, Rashid. I think you should go, then. I'll travel with my sisters and Miss Relena, when she's ready."

Relena, to the best of his knowledge, was outside. She'd left some time ago to speak to the children, who'd come to see the circus show, and to thank the circus staff. When all the packing had been done and the boxes whisked away, Iria and his others sisters had joined the princess to watch the end of the festivities. Only Quatre had stayed to ensure the Maguanacs left undeterred by any security glitches.

"I'll see you on L4 territory soon, I trust?"

"A week. You know where to unload the securities."

"I shall personally conduct a thorough inventory and send you a copy."

"Thank you. Perfect. They'll be safe with you until I get there, I know. I'm taking a little vacation of my own near Marseille."

"A splendid plan, Master Quatre."

"I think so, too." Quatre put away his phone, unrolled his sleeves, and slipped on his linen jacket for the trip outside. Although he knew he wouldn't find his lover there, he was looking forward to catching a peek of the circus tear-down, and keeping an eye on Heero Yuy.

(o)

Earlier that day, six train cars had unlinked from the rest and rolled alongside the Sanc treasury building with the freight locomotive. Guards with machine guns had positioned themselves along the track, while more men with carpenter gear pried up the floorboards of the railroad coaches. Milliardo supervised a team packing the five-pound gold ingots ten to a crate. At least a dozen workers hefted the crates onto the reinforced rolling platforms and wheeled bullion-laden dollies from the Sanc treasury building to the prepared train cars, while others unloaded and installed the Sanc kingdom bullion reserve into the ten-inch space below the floors. Then, working quickly, the carpenters hammered the boards back into place.

Trowa slipped into each car and rubbed shoe polish over the shiny new nail heads to disguise them. He'd thought of every detail, but he couldn't have done it without Zechs' White Fang loyalist troops. He'd thank the man later when he had time, and if they got out of Sanc successfully.

(o)

Duo tucked the last of the_ faux_ treasures into the backpack especially constructed for the job. He hoped Hilde and Milliardo had successfully filled the pack's twin with the real thing, transferred them to Wufei without problems, and that _by now_ Wufei had concealed them in his art crates. He hoped Trowa and Milliardo's men were moving the bullion without trouble and that his friend Quatre had been successful. The last signals he'd received indicated that everything had status "OK".

_Heero...?_ No! He blocked all thoughts about Heero. Not everything would go right, he knew.

His job to pull off the filmed heist of the crown jewels was nearly complete. So, with a smile for the camera, he engaged the motor and began his ascent to the roof. What he'd find there, he wasn't sure, but he was mentally preparing for the worst.

It was a good thing he had, because the moment he'd stuck his head and shoulders outside of the cut-out window his troubles began. First, it was raining steadily and, second, the backpack was extremely heavy. Getting down without breaking his neck was going to be a challenge. Again, he silently thanked Heero for showing Trowa and him the roof access and stairway. Traversing that short distance would still require death-defying acts of skill, but at least he wasn't facing a steep rappel from the roof to the ground several stories below, in the rain.

"Take it slow," he muttered to himself. In his favor, the backpack design did a superb job of distributing the weight evenly so it didn't shift and throw him off-balance.

He noticed that the circus sounds had changed. No longer were there cheers or ooh's and ah's of an audience, which meant that the show was over and the guards were less likely to be distracted. This is taking too long, he thought. The longer he was exposed, the more likely he'd be spotted and obstructed by _some_one in _some_ way.

Taking a small risk, he used the wires to do a controlled slide along the roof to the access door. He cut a finger yanking on the line to stop, and swore he'd never be stupid enough _ever again_ not to bring gloves, but he did reach the landing and from there the roof outlet.

Without counting his blessings, he raced down the stairs until reaching the exit door. There, he paused to reset the building's security system to "on" and check his messages for status updates. Hilde had had a "successful transfer" an hour ago. Trowa was still "good and on schedule". Quatre's update indicated that "the move was done". A new message came through as he read—Wufei was "mission complete."

That left him holding the bag, literally. Which wasn't so bad, he told himself. And then he opened the door to find himself face-to-face with a seriously unhappy Heero Yuy.


	15. Do As I Do

Chapter 15 - Do As I Do

* * *

"Hi!" Duo smiled into Heero's eyes. He'd done the best he could.

Heero stopped Duo from taking another step. "You are under arrest."

"Aw, 'Ro, you don't haveta do this."

"I _do_. You see, while the TV cameras were filming what I assume was the robbery of the crown jewels, most of the palace guards were watching the circus. Almost all the guards. One dedicated young man saw you _and_ the backpack _and_ the film crew on top of the palace roof. He reported what he saw or thought he saw and the report worked its way up the ranks to finally stop with me. It's my duty to advise you of your rights at this time—"

"Hold on! I've heard that song and dance enough to recite it myself. Save your breath and hear me out."

"All right."

"Right. Now, I realize things won't change overnight, and by 'overnight' I mean 'ever,' but I'd like to offer you and your gang of guards a helpful hint that I've picked up along the way, and perhaps, between all of us, nothing will change."

Heero drew his breath and let it out slowly.

"Ready?" Duo asked, impatience personified.

"Duo, if this is just an attempt to waste my time, then—"

"It's not!" Duo could not keep the touch of desperation out of his voice. "Honest!"

"_Honest_?!" Heero practically spat out the word. "You deceive me and then expect me to just take you at your word now? You have absurd ideas about trust."

"Maybe, maybe not. 'Ro, just… look at the goods before you make a decision."

Before turning his focus on the contents of Duo's backpack and what Duo was doing, Heero scanned the area around them. A knot of uniformed guards standing nearby were being filmed and one appeared to being answering questions in an interview, which was totally unauthorized by Heero. Rather than yell at Duo, he saw a way to vent his anger and ordered the palace guardsmen, "Shape up! Do your jobs!"

At that moment, a cameraman eased in close between Heero and Duo, nudging the guard in the ribs, and asked them to speak up, "A little louder, please."

"Get these cameras out of the way, or I will shoot them!" Heero exploded with a vehemence that made Duo recoil away from him, putting a couple feet of neutral ground to buffer Heero's ire—which on second look might require more of a demilitarized zone between them.

The camera flew up and out of his way. A close pocket of palace guards jumped to action and pushed back the television crew, who had been filming everything up until that time. Heero continued to bark out instructions, "clear and secure the area" being emphasized as well as "exercise proper procedures".

When Heero appeared to have finished dispersing unwanted people from the area, Duo hastily removed his backpack and started unzipping the compartments.

"Rain won't hurt these," he assured Heero, "so don't worry."

"What do you mean?" Heero leaned over to look as a scepter of the realm appeared. If Duo heard his gasp, well, who could blame him for being impressed? Who wouldn't be?

"Awesome, huh?"

"Put that away!" Heero ordered.

"You gotta see something first, 'Ro. Get close and lookit this mark," Duo said, turning the jewel-encrusted staff over in his hands until Howard's emblem came into view. "See that? That means it's a copy. Howard Sweeper made all these," Duo patted the bag by his feet, "so only copies are in public view while the real ones are kept safe. You can call him, if you don't believe me."

"I _will_," Heero guaranteed him as he inspected the mark. He glanced into the backpack, but seemed reluctant to poke around. "You're telling me that _all _of these are replicas?"

"The expert has spoken. Examine them to your heart's desire. Geez, 'Ro, I was making a reality show, not looting the palace!"

"The jewels are all fakes?" _Why didn't you tell me?_

"Damned straight! Not only that, the TV production company has this legal department that said everything would be cool. They got permits for me to be here and take these and everything."

"You don't believe you've committed a crime?"

"Hell no!" Duo stepped closer and lowered his voice. "Of course, the TV folks _think _these are the real deal. I didn't trust them 100 percent, you see, so I made sure they weren't." He smiled hopefully. "Just in case they fell into the wrong hands? But anyway, they _think_ they're real- no excitement in stealing replicas, no doubt- so I'd like to hide the truth from them for the time being. I'm holding out hope that I'll get paid eventually."

If Duo was expecting forgiveness and a smile out of Heero, he was certain to be disappointed. None was forthcoming. Quite the opposite.

"No legal department ever contacted the princess or her staff—she would have informed me! No one cleared anything, except the right to video the circus performance," the guard said. _Why, oh why, didn't you tell me?_

"You're kidding me? I gotta contract that says they did… or should have… or will, I guess. And before you ask me, the answer is: No, the contract's not _on_ me. But there's no harm done, right? This shit ain't worth squat and it can all be put to rights. And from the way your guards are chatting up the video crew, they certainly appear flattered to be in the show and play along."

Heero's face darkened with anger. "Do you have a mental problem?"

He had not anticipated Heero questioning his sanity. That just rubbed Duo the wrong way. "Why? Do you _want_ one?" he retorted.

And that snarky remark tipped the scales for the Sanc Elite Guardsman and he ripped into his friend. "You lied to me, withheld information from me, mislead me, and insulted me. Don't you comprehend… anything? Without mutual trust and respect, we have no relationship!"

"What? No! Hey, are you breaking up with me? I mean, don't hold anything back here. You gonna put me in chains? You always wanted to see me in cuffs and at your mercy, didn't ya?" No, Duo didn't know when to shut up sometimes.

In the background, Relena finished her speech, thanking the circus for putting on the fine show and the children for coming, and wishing for everyone to return next year, to a round of cheers and applause.

"You give me no _choice_, Duo," Heero said, and he didn't sound as if he relished the moment.

(o)

A sidelong glance revealed that Relena had finished her speech and was thanking the circus, the television crew and saying goodbye to the children. The rain had stopped and the clouds parted sending a shaft of light to illuminate the princess. She was still wearing the beautiful sapphire and diamond bracelet, the generous gift from Governor Solomon, and looked all aglow. And happy.

_At least someone was having a good day._

Heero scanned in the other direction and noticed how the circus was being dismantled in a flash; animals were already being loaded onto the awaiting train cars.

His feelings were raw, his heart bleeding and in pain. He felt generally annoyed, strangely left out, and seriously duped. He had gotten into an argument with Duo, said some means things, broken up, and was now on the brink of arresting his _ex_-boyfriend and throwing him in jail.

And this after the most passionate and comforting night together! How did this debacle all happen? Oh, his ex-boyfriend was a liar and a thief. A _burglar_. A little crook, through and through. And _completely_ unrepentant about it, too!

He felt a cold chill down his back and nearly ripped his uniform jacket getting at his smartphone to check for security breaches. None. How did Duo break in and not set off the security system? Well, hadn't he noticed it was off when he ran into that Hilde girl—a friend of Duo's?! Dear God! Then the Khushrenada man… he'd let that intrusion just pass! And Winner's list of employees! He hadn't followed up on any of it!

He was a failure. Violations, interlopers trespassing—and all while he was on duty… in charge!

He thought about the palace and what it must look like now. Empty. Empty! Duo may not have stolen the crown jewels, but his friends—and Winner and Barton and Chang probably, too, were his friends—had taken every treasure from the palace! A conspiracy! They'd heisted it all right under his nose!

He'd been right. He'd known something was going down last night. He could take some satisfaction in that. Some. Very little, as the palace was ransacked anyway.

Heero knew what action had to be taken. It might not be too late to undo the damage.

He sent out an emergency call to his men. "Guards! Emergency lockdown! **No** one is to leave the premises! God damn it, I'll stop all departing trucks, trains- and planes, if necessary! Guards- mumph!"

A small, soft-skinned hand covered his mouth. "That won't be necessary, Heero. By my command, retract those orders."

He had to cancel his orders and withdraw his men from the perimeters. The princess was his ultimate superior to whom he answered. He nodded and she removed her hand so he could contact the other guards.

"Yuy speaking. New orders. Stand down. I repeat, rescind the previous orders and allow free passage to all persons. That doesn't mean to neglect procedures. Check for valid ID! Be alert to any threat," he added weakly as a face-saving measure.

"I don't understand. There's a threat. A-" He tried to think of how to word what he wanted to say so she would grasp the magnitude and the gravity of the situation. All her things were gone, but then she'd been a part of that, actually, and even seen to her personal packing. On second thought, he decided not to bring that up.

Well, anyone could see that all the palace artwork, paintings, sculptures, and art treasures were gone, but then Chang's company handled them- arguably, not everything at once- but he took some of them away and returned them every year. So, maybe that wasn't that alarming by itself.

There were the crown jewels to be reckoned with, but… those probably were just replicas. He remembered having heard - or had he read it?- about a Howard Sweeper with mention of counterfeits on display, which meant that Duo most likely had told him the truth about those and that the items were most likely knock-offs in Duo's bag. Even if they _were_ the real thing, they were right there at their feet. Not much to get excited over.

So.

So, he hadn't anything very new or important to announce as it turned out, but he just knew things weren't right. "Why?" he asked her simply.

"There is no reason to get excited, Heero."

"But… **things**… have been…taken."

"Of course! Now, Quatre and his sisters are waiting for me and you are not going to insult my friends or inconvenience them after all the hard work they have done. If you must, you can search us all and our belongings as we leave the building—_very_ discretely!"

Heero moved to do just that, but her hand on his arm stopped him. "Don't make a scene, Heero."

Apparently, he was supposed to see the sarcasm in her offer to search her friends? Or take it from her that they weren't stealing the crown jewels. He knew that wasn't possible.

"Take this." She handed over a thick envelope.

He looked over the envelope and found it plain and uninformative. "What's this?" he asked.

"Formal instructions, with both my signature and my brother's. And the proof we needed that the New Alliance was making its first move on our assets. Protect that document with your life."

"Yes, I will, Princess Relena." This was a solemn charge he understood and would comply with.

"Thank you, Heero. Here are my commands to you, leader of my palace guard: guard and protect the circus people and clear the area of any remaining civilians."

"We are doing that. That's my job and I know it."

"I know you do, Heero, and I that's why I trust you without reservations to carry out these final orders. You are holding all the authorization you need in your hands."

"Final orders? What do you mean?"

"Listen, this is terribly important and it is critical that you don't question my motives. Do you understand?"

"Yes and I am accountable to you and you only."

"That's right, so I'll tell you very briefly what you have to know. You absolutely must make certain the circus train leaves safely and then dismiss the guards to clear their barracks of personal things and leave the palace grounds. And then you leave, too."

"You want me to leave the palace unprotected?"

She leaned in to whisper, "There is nothing left to protect. The staff has all left with the Maguanac Corps escort. And there is nothing of any value remaining… anywhere." She stood back. "Get to safety and let me know where you go—and do it through Quatre Winner."

"But I can't…! I swore an oath!"

"- which you shall keep. You have new orders. You see, Mr. Khushrenada has revealed his true intentions to lead the vanguard into the palace, prior to an eventual takeover of the kingdom. Read what's in this; it explains it all, but do it _later_! Oh, and be wary of anyone working for the television company—any of them may have allegiance to the New Alliance. Pretend you suspect nothing, that you don't know which of them play a role in the plot. If you feel like it, you may invite them to tour the palace on their own, but only after the circus train has left and you have evacuated all the guard."

"But… why didn't you trust me with this information last night when I came to you with my concerns? Why wasn't I included from the start?"

Anguished look must have struck directly to her heart because she smiled and gazed on him tenderly.

"Because I didn't know then. Oh, my dear, dear Heero. I wouldn't delude you. I only just found out myself a few hours ago, when this final confirmation was delivered. It looks like both you and I have been kept in the dark by our friends." She turned toward Duo, acknowledging his existence for the first time. "When we first met, Mr. Maxwell, I wasn't sure what kind of man you were. Honest, but with the most impish smile! But you know how to choose your friends, and they all speak highly of you, so I'd like to include you as one of my friends as well."

Duo rose to his feet. As before, he kissed her outstretched hand. "The honor is all mine. Thank you, princess." He straightened and looked her in the eye, and then broke into a grin and winked. "Nice rocks, by the way. L2's finest, if I'm any judge of sapphires."

She giggled, sounding as youthful as she really was, and held up her wrist to show off the bracelet. "You know your gems, Mr. Maxwell. Governor Solomon, Solo," a splendid blush graced her features when she said his name, "asked that I pass along his thanks and well wishes."

"Heh, heh, yeah… call me Duo, if you, ah, please, and tell him it was all my pleasure, next time you see him."

"Next time-? Oh!" She giggled more and turned back to Heero. "I am so glad you have a friend like Duo. Maybe he can help you find a place to hide when you leave here?"

Heero didn't know what to say to that. He had been listening, fitting new information into his mental puzzle of what was going on, and watching a familiar blond head bobbing their way.

"Excuse me." Quatre patted her on the shoulder. "Princess? We can't delay any longer. It is time to go." He met Heero's confused and angry glare. "She'll be safe and the prince will be too, if you do what she's asked. You have my word; I'll protect her, Heero."

Quatre reached out, and Heero took the offered hand, and said, "I'm holding you to it, Winner. Tell me, do you know if Barton will be on that train?"

Quatre made one shallow dip of his chin, "Yes," and then turned away to gather his sisters.

"Mission accepted." Heero had said it in a voice so low he wasn't certain the other man had heard, but then Quatre turned back and flashed a quick smile over his shoulder.

"I trust you, despite what you might think, Heero." Relena pulled his head down and kissed his cheek. "I'm relying on you to do your duty, and together we will preserve the Sanc Kingdom. You'll see." And then she left, joining the cluster of blonds flanked by four, dark-complexioned Maguanacs.

His mind was a flurry of questions and confusion, but out of it came the clear path laid out for him, his duty.

First there was Duo to deal with. "You heard all that, so you know I have more urgent business than to police you. I- I don't know what to do about you right now. Just stay put."

Duo didn't say a word, a good thing, since all it seemed he could do was incriminate himself or get Heero angry; he folded his arms across his chest and stared past Heero into the vague distance.

Next, Heero sent a new communication out to the other guards, directing them to continue clearing the television workers from the area, preferably outside the palace gates, and to assist the circus or the train crew in any way possible.

When he checked, Duo had collapsed into a broody heap next to his backpack. _At least he hasn't tried to make a run for it_

Heero scrutinized everything and everybody within his sight range for Trowa amongst the circus personnel, and spotted Hilde giving one of the film crew a hug. He continued to watch her run over to greet Duo.

"Hey, I'm getting a ride on the train. Blowing this town and running away with the circus. Hey, you look a little down, Duo." She glared at Heero, daring him to defend himself. "Trouble in paradise?"

Duo studied his backpack. "Um, yeah. I think I'm on my own."

Fearlessly, like a mother bear protecting her cub, Hilde confronted Heero. "What's the matter with you? Aren'tcha gonna take care of the smart, hot thief?"

For Heero, her accusations added to his earlier frustrations, becoming the last in a long a series of annoyances and disappointments that stretched his endurance beyond the limit and led directly to his final loss of patience, temper, trust, and hope. And Duo's smug smile in reaction to "smart, hot, thief", acted like a match in the powder barrel.

"If he's _so_ good," Heero snapped, "how come he lives in a dive?"

"You said you liked it," Duo muttered.

And Heero had liked it!

"Why is he living in such an awful place?" Hilde cried out. "Duo gives nearly _everything_ he earns to the L2 orphanage he came from and to help _the_ _cause_—you stupid asshole! Good thing you are not together anymore, Duo. You can do so much better."

"Stay outta this, Hilde."

Duo and Hilde maintained a silent standoff for thirty tense seconds, then she shrugged it off.

"Well, you can come with me, is all I'm saying."

Heero could see the gears turning in his mind, working out the implications of what she'd said.

"You're leaving Greg behind?" Duo asked.

"Yeah, he's-," her eyes slid sideways to look at Heero. Whatever she'd been about to say became revised in order to finish her thought. "He and I are coming from opposite sides of the game, so to speak. Too bad, but that's the way it goes. We're tough people, Duo."

"Yeah," he said quietly. "You talk too much, Hil."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah… Oh! I almost forgot! Thanks for the money, by the way. I'm betting it's all I'm gonna get from this gig. Word is, these TV guys are gonna stiff me on the show 'cause they don't like how it's turning out. So, once again, you're the only one that's came through for me." She kissed him quickly. "So, coming with?"

He shook his head. "Thanks, but no thanks. Go on. Say hi to Tro' for me, okay?"

"I will! Cute guy. Too bad he's gay and all. Well… Come see me any time. Take care, sweetie!" she called out and, after tossing him an air-kiss, dashed away.

Heero had been listening, but his eyes were on the TV crew, the Greg person in particular. The hurt in his heart was subsiding fast. He had come to the conclusion that Duo and all his friends had fought on the rebel side in the war, and still were aggressively working toward colonial sovereignty. That didn't bother him, but considering his position in the Sanc kingdom, working for the government, he could see that it might appear to Duo and the others that he had been fighting for the opposition. No wonder Duo would want to keep many of his activities to himself and not tell him in particular!

Until they crossed this abyss of ideologies, they would continue to have trust issues. He was at fault as much as Duo, actually. He couldn't tell Duo what he should know, because he was bound by honor not to reveal that information without the consent of the other man involved.

Short of that, though, couldn't he do something to show Duo he was on his side? Yes, he could. He could try.

"Is that the Greg who punched you?" he asked Duo.

"Yeah. Whattaya doing?"

Heero dragged Duo with him. "Getting even."

He found Greg and pulled him aside. "This the guy who hit you, right?"

Duo nodded. "Yeah."

"This is for hitting my boyfriend." Heero hauled off and clocked the man good, catching his arm and lowering him to the ground.

"Here," Duo said as he dropped the heavily-loaded backpack at Greg's feet. "Just to show there's no hard feelings. Give that to your supervisor and I'll bet you'll get a promotion." _Until TK figures out it's not real._

Greg didn't say anything until Duo and Heero had walked a short distance away, and then he must have sneaked a quick look at the contents because they could hear a surprised, "Yelp!"

Duo broke out into a grin. "So, I'm your boyfriend again?"

"Yes, you are, if you-"

Duo interrupted. "-I do, um agree."

"I'd like to explain, but now's not the time."

"I think I can keep up with you."

"I think you can, too." Heero looked askance to see Duo smiling and felt grateful for that. "I like to show you-"

"-Eh! Not now, I get that!" Duo tugged on the corner of Heero's uniform. "We'll have a chance later."

Heero hoped Duo meant what it sounded like. He definitely needed Duo in his life. "Somehow, yes. Now, I have an evacuation to complete. Have you an exit plan?"

"Um, actually… I was thinking about that motorcycle of yours."

Heero smiled. "If we get separated, meet me there in an hour."

"Yeah, boss, heh, heh."

"And, please, stay out of trouble!"

"Yo de boss, man."

(o)

Trowa, signaled the conductor, who swung himself up onto the train. The engineer worked his levers and blew one long blast on the whistle, and the little six-car train backed along the track, past the treasury, moving slowly the fraction of a mile to the palace station. Once in place, the circus cars linked with the heavily-loaded others to complete the train.

Slow and easy, gets the job done right.

(o)

Duo had paced a path around the motorcycle, waiting for Heero to show. He'd dodged rain drops dripping off the tree when the wind blew and whistled every tune he knew. Watching Heero sort through a lot of shit in an amazingly short amount of time had been amusing and he could sympathize with him. That princess could sure pack a punch double time! He did feel for him having to come to terms with his world going topsy-turvy in under a minute. He was glad Heero had chosen to accept the situation and move ahead without freaking out, but mostly he was glad Heero hadn't given up on him. They'd need to have it out, talk, sort out what they were going to do and where they were heading, if they could stick together.

Damn! Where _were_ they going?

Where was Heero? What was keeping him? His hour was up!

He was about to go hunting for his boyfriend, when Heero came dashing out of the barracks building, hauling a navy blue duffle bag over a shoulder. He had changed clothes, discarding his uniform for casual jeans and a black leather-to-drool-for jacket.

"God, you look hot!" Duo told him.

"Did you see anything?" Heero asked, all business.

"Some of the film crew slinking around; none of your guardsmen."

"The barracks was empty. Good. I saw Khushrenada by the palace entrance."

"Heh, heh, yeah, probably figuring it was awfully quiet and maybe deciding whether to go in or not."

"Besides him and his… people," Heero hesitated over "troops" or "crew" and settled on the vague generalization. "I believe we are the last to leave. I can't imagine what he'll think when he sees the palace has been stripped of all its treasures."

"Weeell… it may take him awhile to figure that out."

"Duo? Why?"

"You take a look yourself. This is a little…ah… device of mine for messing with the surveillance cameras. Don't ask me how, and I tell you later. Can you review the video feed recording now?"

Heero dug through his bag and removed a laptop. "Just a minute."

"Betcha wanna see my toy here, right?"

"Yes, I do. I'll have to confiscate it, but later. Okay. I'm checking the entry camera—what? The paintings are back! I know I saw the prince store that one in a crate with my very own eyes!"

"Heh, heh."

"Duo, what the hell is going on?! It was emptied out and now it looks the same as it did. Everything is in place."

"Not everything is there, but enough to look like it usually does to someone who doesn't live there all the time."

"I don't get it."

"Remember what I said about the crown jewels on display being fake ones? Well, it's like that for other stuff. When the real things are traded out, replicas get put in their place, like a place-saver. Not everything, just the most the important art. What you are looking at are the replicas that Wufei switched out."

"So, Chang...Wufei... has the originals?"

"Yep, in storage. It's safe and secret. Well, I guess the prince knows all about it. Mill and 'Fei are, um, a couple."

"Prince Milliardo and... Chang? No kidding?" Heero shook his head. "Crazy. Wait, won't the paintings have to be removed again for painting? Oh…I get it, the palace isn't getting painted, is it?"

"That's the ticket! They're not painting the palace. It's been stripped of its valuables by us so the New Alliance can't get their stinking hands on it."

Heero loaded his duffle onto a side carrier using bungee cord to hold it on. "What the princess said must be true…that Khushrenada's company was acting as the vanguard, the forerunner of things to come."

Duo caught the helmet as Heero tossed it to him. "That's what I understand. Maybe that envelope she gave you says more."

Heero strapped on his helmet and searched his pockets for the keys. "She said it was proof."

"All I know is that once Treize and the New Alliance figure out that the palace is full of worthless shit and the treasury's been-"

Heero paused before starting the engine. "What about the treasury?"

Duo hopped on the back of the cycle. "Um, I'll get to that later, okay? What I mean is, we got some time, but not much before all _hell_ will break loose."

"I understand that part, but you will tell me about the treasury."

"Yeah, yeah, later. Let's ride. Whoo-ee!" Duo cried as Heero shot out of the parking lot and away from the palace.

(o)

As the charming red and yellow circus train chugged through the Sanc countryside through the night, the weather worsened, but that didn't affect its route or slow its progress. The little train was still plugging along when the rainy morning came with a strip of pale sky on the horizon, passing recently planted fields, birch and Sanc Red Oak groves, and tiny streams swelled with runoff from the downpour. The air smelled of damp earth and growing things. The leaves in fresh, bright greens and rustled softly in the wind.

Four hundred and fifty miles, more or less. With the locomotive making a steady thirty-five miles an hour, about fourteen hours. It was just a little train, yellow coaches with red borders on the windows and a locomotive puffing through the grain fields and past orchards laden with tiny, green fruits. Pastoral, harmless.

The enchanted train didn't stop in Paris, but continued on to Lyon and still maintained its languorous speed to a stop north of Marseille, where the circus disembarked for a performance.

Nearby, lay the estate of Milliardo Peacecraft.

TBC...


	16. Stacked Deck

Chapter 16 - Stacked Deck

A/N: Thank you everyone, even those of you not logged in so I can't personally thank you, for reading and commenting on the chapters. As you can tell, the story is winding down, but it's not over yet. I just wanted to take a moment to say hello and let you know how appreciative I am. Now, on with the show...

* * *

Heero steered the bike down the alley and parked around the back by the entrance to Duo's apartment. "All right if we hold up here tonight?"

"Absolutely," Duo said. "We oughta sit low and maybe get outta town early in the morning. Whaddaya think?"

"Agreed. I'm not sure where to go. Possibly that coast trip we talked about?"

"Sounds nice." Duo fumbled for his keys, dropped them, and had a hand full of soft, furry, purry cat face. "Aw cat… doesn't your owner feed ya anymore?"

"Duo, you _are_ the owner, and I thought we were going to call her Tiger?"

"Oh, yeah. Forgot."

"I don't suppose you have anything to eat inside?" Heero asked.

"I can guarantee **not**."

"All right. I've got to pick up a few supplies, no matter where we end up. I'll bring home dinner, too."

"Cool. I'll pack and... um… could you get some cat food?"

"Of course." Heero removed his duffle and set it inside the door. "I won't be gone for more than an hour or two. If I'm not back by then, barricade the doors."

Duo grasped his arm and drew him in for a kiss. Adding an invitation for future action, he ground into Heero's thigh. "You _will _return."

Heero sucked in a moan and kissed him back. "Having you waiting… I can't get over…this… that you want me."

"Feed me, and you'll find out how much," Duo said with a laugh.

"You're part cat. Don't make me explain that."

After parting, Duo unlocked and opened the door to his shop, dragging Heero's bag inside. He collected his most trade-worthy items. Not all the jewelry was fungible and some he wouldn't be able to fence easily because of traceable hallmarks or because they were too valuable. He wanted to carry a few items to sell off, if he needed some fast cash. The other valuable items he double-checked, making sure they were well hidden away. Satisfied that if the building were destroyed his most important things were secure in his underground vault, he lugged Heero's duffle back out to the stairs, and then locked up shop.

"C'mon…Tiger. I can getcha water."

He climbed up the stairs to his apartment, where he filled the cat's water bowl. Smoothing his hand over her back sent her to purring. "You're gonna have to toughen up if you're gonna live on the streets."

And he'd be the one doing the abandoning. A wave of guilt sent his mood into a downward spiral, and he fled the room to use the bathroom.

"I gotta pack."

Hanging from wall hooks were two backpacks. He chose the largest and dug through a crate for underwear. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a flicker of fuzzy tail. "Outta the bag, cat!"

She purred louder when he moved her from his bag to his lap. "How am I gonna get anything done with you here?"

Complaining every other minute, he acted as though the kitty was the biggest deterrent to his getting his tasks done. But he still found a way to progress. Halfway done with packing, his phone buzzed. It was from Quatre, so he took the call. "Hey, all a-okay with you?"

"Everything is just fine. Are you still at the palace?"

"No, I'm home, but we'll be ready to scat, Jack, in the morning."

"_We_? Is Hilde with you?"

"No, she traveled with Trowa on the circus train. You haven't seen him yet, I take it?"

"We've talked. Trowa is _en route_, and Wufei will join us tomorrow. We want you to come stay with us all."

"Heero's here."

"Heero Yuy?!" Quatre sounded completely surprised, but he recovered quickly. "Oh. Well, that's nice. Just a second, Duo."

Duo waited, listening to a deeper voice in the background, but he couldn't make out the words over the sounds of a sea gull.

Quatre came back on. "Are you still there?"

"Yes. You at the beach?"

"Close to one. Milliardo says Heero has important information you should know. So, ask him about his past."

"I'll think about it." Duo had plenty of things to talk to him about.

"Do try. Milliardo is extending an invitation to you both to come to his villa. And _do_ bring Heero!"

"A villa, huh? Does it have a pool?"

"A lovely one—"

Duo heard a shout through the phone, clearly Mill this time. "Tell him there's the ocean and I have a chef on staff, too!"

"Heard that. Your invite's getting even better. Where?"

"His place is located on the southeast coast of _France_, just outside of _Marseille._ Please, say you'll come?"

"Sure. I ain't got a better offer. Text me the directions. And thanks."

"Of course, Duo! You did such a good job—we all did! There's no reason why we shouldn't be comfortable while we get down to business planning what to do next."

"Okay. I'll call when I'm close. Bye."

The sound of a motorcycle had Duo running down the stairs to meet Heero. "You made it! Everything cool?"

"Khushrenada's keeping a low profile. No rumors in town of anything going on, which is what we want. I brought us food and a few other things."

Duo took the paper sack, leaving Heero with a plastic one from a hardware store. "What's in that one?" he asked.

"Some things for attaching and securing bags to the bike. Let's eat now."

MEOW! Tiger insisted on attention first, and got it from Heero. He opened a can he'd bought and filled a shallow bowl with the contents. Once her needs were met, the two hungry young men dove into the takeout containers, forks first.

"Have you heard from anyone?" Duo asked.

"No, but I wasn't expecting to." Heero patted the thick envelope Relena had given him and which he kept in his coat pocket. "I thought I'd take a look at this later."

"Quatre called me."

"He did? So, what did he say?"

"He invited us to join him and the others, _all_ the others, at Milliardo's villa."

"Are you sure I'll be welcome?"

"Yeah."

"Really?"

"There's swimming and food."

"Sounds intriguing. I'll go if you want to."

"Okay."

"Good. Where are we going then?"

"Marsielle."

"That far? All right. I get to keep my promise of taking you to the coast."

"Hmmm, I like that." Duo washed the forks and dumped the food container. At the door, Tiger was pawing and crying for attention again. "Aw, what now? You just came in and now you want out?"

"She just ate. She probably just wants to do her business outside. Go open the door and I'll take out the garbage."

"Sure. Nothing like being bossed around by my _boyfriend_ and his _cat_." He made it sound like he didn't actually mind, though.

"Your cat," Heero corrected.

Duo opened the door and Tiger led the way. "I'll meet you half way—_our _cat, okay?"

"_Our _cat. I like how that sounds." Heero trailed after the pair, carrying the garbage outside to a dumpster. Back at the door, he stood next to Duo, gazing up at the darkening sky. He wrapped an arm around him. "This is nice."

"It is. Man, whatta day, huh?"

"I'm still numb," Heero admitted. "I don't know if I still have a job any more. I haven't a place to live for a while."

"You got _me_."

"I have you, yes." Heero smiled. "That's the most unbelievable part, meeting you, becoming friends, then more, much, much more."

"For a minute there, we nearly lost everything," Duo reminded him of the breakup.

"For a while, my world was turned upside down, inside out. I still feel strange."

Duo smiled. "So do I."

They stood together until Tiger returned, and then Duo led Heero back inside and up the stairs to his apartment. There, he kicked the door shut and tugged Heero's arm until he'd dragged him onto the mattress._ Ask him about his past…_

"Heero, I have this hole in my gut every time I try to think about, well, you and me."

"Oh."

God, Heero looked devastated to hear that. Duo wondered why he was dredging up serious topics, like talking about relationships, when he could be having amazing sex with the man? Damn, Quatre for putting that bug in his brain!

"Yeah, it's not a good feeling, and I want it to go away and I think I know a way to make that happen, something you can do to help."

"Just tell me what."

Heero seemed desperate to do anything, but would he answer the question, Duo wondered? And if he didn't or even if he did, would it mark the end of the rode for them? It was too late to go backwards, so might as well get it over with. He let out the breath he'd been holding.

"Between Hilde's slip-ups and my broad hints, you'd have to be a blockhead not to figure where I stand, what I did in the war. I don't like thinking we were trying to kill each other in the past, or might again. See my point?"

"I do." Heero ran a hand through his hair and appeared to make a decision. "This is nice," Heero said, again, looking around until he fixed his gaze on Duo across the bed from him. Heero's voice was low and soft. "I'd forgotten how remarkable the seasonal changes were in Sanc, not having grown up here." He flashed Duo a quick, nervous smile, as if he was hoping Duo would draw the right conclusion.

Duo was a quick thinker and good at practical math. "Oh," Duo drew out the sound as understanding set in. "Yeah? You're from pretty far away then." He ventured a bit further to ask, "A colony?"

Heero nodded slowly.

"Huh. I wouldn't have bet money that you were colony-born. I thought to be one of the elite guard, you had to be members of Sanc's nobility, you know, like second cousins once removed or the bastard sons from secret trysts, or something. Or am I totally off-base here?"

"No, I'm colony born." Heero said in a low voice. "I was a soldier from the L1 colony," Heero admitted. "Is this what you want to talk about?"

"It's a start. It's something I wanted to know, and I got the answer I wanted to hear,"

He kissed Heero to show him how glad he was to have good news, and the kiss in return was warm and happy, becoming hot and aroused before Duo ended it.

"_More_ questions?" Heero asked, not sounding as perturbed as he could have.

"Yeah, I'm just getting started here." He smiled as Heero settled in more comfortably and rested an arm over his chest.

"Me, too," Heero said, only his voice was getting husky.

"Yeah, I can tell. So, tell me, colony brat, here's the question: how did you become a guard for the royal house?" Duo asked. "And if it means anything, the prince said to tell me about _something_ when Quatre called."

"He did?" Heero looked thoughtful for a minute. When Duo rubbed the tip of his braid over his fingers, he had prepared what he wanted to say. "All right… I met Zechs Merquise several times in hand to hand combat. We were enemies, but civilized, as he put it. The outcome was always in question with no clear winner, because there was always some interruption."

"That sounds like the story of my life."

"Making a long story short, then, Zechs converted to my side and returned to Sanc with me to help his step sister fend off Romfeller."

"No shit?!" Duo blurted out. "_You're_ the one that converted the Captain?"

"Yes."

Duo summarized with a concise, "Fuck."

"About time." Heero unzipped Duo's pants and ran a finger along the waistband of his shorts, causing Duo to hiss as he sucked in his breath. "I remember being shocked when Zechs led a White Fang ground attack _against_ the Old Alliance."

"And was _killed_," Duo emphasized, thinking back. He eyes shifted sideways then down to what the other man's hands were doing. One hand had slipped under his shirt and was drawing circles on his ribs. "B-but we know that didn't happen. God, am I getting off to the sound of White Fang?"

"Whi-ite Fang," Heero whispered, and then nipped at the nearest hip bone.

Duo yelped and chuckled, encouraging Heero to do more.

He moved to tease Duo's right nipple with a rough finger, talking as he caressed. "He took back his birth name and returned to Sanc, and it is through that connection that I received Relena's attention and was elevated to her guard. The end. The abridged version."

"Okay, so why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"I promised _him_ I wouldn't tell anyone. Should the truth of his past, and mine, get out… that could be bad for either of us. You can understand that?"

"Yeah sure. Honor bound for glory."

"What does that mean? Oh, don't bother. Help me get these off you."

Duo leveraged his hips up, while Heero yanked down on the belt loops. "Careful! I don't have that many pants. Oh, geez… my best suit's still there at the palace."

"It will be there when we go back. No one is stealing suits." Heero was tearing off his own clothes.

"It was my _best_!"

"Make the prince buy you another; you're such good friends."

"Uh, huh, I'll do that. Ahhh..." Duo sighed. Heero's well-cut upper body looked indestructible and very, very desirable and totally distracted Duo. He nearly forgot what they'd been talking about.

"You are, really that close?" Heero asked. "I was just joking."

"We kinda are, through Wufei. You know I won't tell a soul about what you just told me, don't you?"

"I trust you completely," Heero said. "I love you, Duo."

A shockwave hit Duo like a jolt of electricity, sending Duo's brain into a tailspin of uncertainty and letting him blurt out, "Man, I wasn't expecting that."

"You weren't?" Heero now sounded troubled and confused.

Now Duo realized he was going to have to explain _that_. Stupid big mouth!

"Well, it's been a roller-coaster ride with you today." Duo squirmed a little to improve the angle of Heero's attack and kick off the last of his pants clinging to his ankles. He counted off on his fingers: "Breakfast in bed, and then arresting me, quickly followed by breaking up with me, and then we're friends and… and…"

"And now I'm baring my soul and telling you I love you."

Do I feel the same, Duo wondered? "Yeah. That. It's a big deal for me."

"A romantic thief?" Heero leaned over and kissed him once, then again, harder, stroking his tongue along Duo's palate when Duo's lips parted. He pulled back enough to speak, but kept their lips in contact. "It's important to me, too. I never said it before, never felt this way about anyone else before. Not even close."

And Duo knew Heero wanted to hear Duo tell him how he loved him too. He was waiting for it.

"Why did you break up with me?" Duo asked instead.

Heero sat back with a sigh. "Why? You keep saying I did, but I didn't, actually. Duo, think back for a minute. I felt hurt because you didn't tell me what you were going to do and it appeared to be very illegal. Then you got pissed off—"

"-Because you were pissing _me_ off, not listening to what I was saying and all focused on arresting me."

"But you'd lied to me!"

"I don't lie! Okay, I didn't tell you stuff because…"

"Because you didn't trust me."

"_Because_ I wasn't sure if you might end up siding with the New Alliance at some point!" There, he'd said it again. His big fear.

"But you know I wouldn't do that now, don't you?" Heero asked.

"Oh, _now_ I do." Duo moved over to avoid getting an elbow in the jaw as Heero removed his jeans completely.

"Good. At least that's settled now. _Tell_ me it is settled, Duo." He was naked, exposed to Duo's hungry gaze.

"Right. It is settled."

"So, if we put that behind us, do you think we can…?"

Duo touched Heero's bare thigh and rubbed a circle with his thumb. "Move on? Be _boy_friends?"

"Call it what you want… a relationship…something meaningful… I want that- do you?"

Did he? He studied the face so very close to his, the intense, blue eyes, boring into his, the lips, red from kissing him, the tortured hair, and felt the answer before he said it. "Yeah, as long as it's with you. Absolutely."

Suddenly, he had all of Heero in his arms, on top of him, crushing him into the not very comfortable mattress. Between the fevered kisses on his nose, his eyelids, his chin, his lips, there were whispered words. "I love you," he understood.

"Hey, 'Ro, lemme get a word in edgewise."

Heero paused and once again, Duo felt those eyes riveting him in place. "Yes?"

"I love you, too," he said.

That won him an unabashed look of joy. "I want to make love to you. I want to make it special. Tell me what you want."

Duo thought a moment about what Heero might think comprised _special_ when it came to sex and came up with a great idea. "Say, did you keep those fancy palace manacles?"

"No, I'm traveling light and those are not a necessity."

"Depends," Duo murmured under his breath. "Well, I still got plenty of rope. Don't look at me that way. Here's your chance to tie my arms to the bedposts and talk dirty to me!"

"You're kidding?" Heero asked, looking both pleased and excited.

"Noooo."

By the time Duo located rope soft enough to meet Heero's specifications, he'd had to go up and down the stairs three more times and dig through the dirty "office". So, before they could do more, they agreed a bath was in order.

They washed in the tepid water that trickled into the stained tub, then did a quick rub-down to dry off.

"Now," Heero begged.

"Yeah," Duo agreed, dropping the rope in his rush to the mattress.

They took turns topping, urgent for completion, engaging in sweaty, inspired love on the worn sheets- without the use of any rope or bindings.

"Too much trouble."

"Maybe another time."

Half asleep, they lay with the window open, listening to the rain that started and stopped, off and on until dawn.

(o)

The next morning before the sun rose, the pair were up and securing their belongings to the motorcycle. The beams of the headlights were alive with moths, giving a stranger than life look to their conveyance. They were in love and happy and ready to take on the world.

Nearly.

Heero found one more thing to fuss over. When Duo noticed Heero attach a lidded basket to the handlebars, he had to ask what it was for.

"It's for Tiger. Bring me a towel to line the inside."

"The _cat_? We're bringing _the cat_ along?"

"We can't leave her here. She'll starve. She's our responsibility now."

Duo couldn't argue the logic in that, and his heart felt a great deal lighter losing the Mantle of Guilt he'd wrapped around his conscience for having considered abandoning her. He and Heero had become her sole caretakers, like it or not. "I doubt she'll like riding in that."

"We'll see."

She loved it. She could peer out the cutout openings meant for hand-holds, but mostly slept all the way. Duo accused her of having such perfect manners just to show off to Heero, and Heero explained she probably thought the rumbling engine sounded like a large mother cat.

Go Tiger!

TBC...


	17. Pseudo Psychometry

Chapter 17 - Pseudo Psychometry

A/N: In the realm of magic trickery, Pseudo Psychometry is known as a type of mentalism routine where several spectators have items that are associated with them and the magician somehow identifies which item is owned by which person.

* * *

The ride took Duo and Heero all day, with a short stop for lunch, arriving in the vicinity of Milliardo's property in the heat of the late afternoon. The weather was much finer than what they'd left behind in damp Sanc: warm sunshine, cool ocean breezes mixing with an herbal mix of lavender from inland.

The villa _Embarcation de la Paix_ rose out of the rocks like a great warship. Ship of Peace. A call to their host and the gates opened automatically, and they purred on in, following the curving drive to a parking strip.

Quatre greeted them with outstretched arms, but with a guarded look in Heero's direction. "You made it!"

"Yep," Duo said, half daring his friend to deny them both access.

"This is so nice!" Quatre said instead. "Is that a cat? She's beautiful! Can I hold her?"

"You can try. She's a bit of a stray." Duo passed the basket of cat into his friend's welcoming arms.

"Her name is Tiger," Heero said.

"Oh, such a ferocious kitty cat!" Quatre teased.

The threesome plus cat strode across a tiled patio, joining the group already seated under a covered outdoor eating area. Suddenly, the men at the table stopped arguing, went dead silent, and stared at them.

(o)

Everyone exchanged greetings, some warmer than others, especially where Heero was included. He hadn't expected a welcoming reception; he certainly hadn't expected to be included in this tightly managed club, and knew he had Duo to thank for the invitation. The others must have held Duo in such high esteem that their acceptance included Heero. He wanted Duo's admiration, mostly, but that meant impressing his close friends, so he planned to do everything he could to prove his worthiness.

Tiger prowled the perimeter of the patio before succumbing to the warm brick, stretching full length by Heero's feet, and falling into a catnap.

Refreshments appeared and an expectant stillness settled over them. Quiet, comfortable, but not serene. Duo tapped out a rhythm on the table, unable to contain his loose energy, but that didn't last long.

He hopped to his feet and blurted out, "Heero's one of us, just so you know. He told me how he got to be Relena's guard and I believe him."

Quatre had sent the empty cat basket down and now grabbed both Duo's hands. "I'm glad he told you. Milliardo was just now explaining to us that Heero was fighting for L1. How you were another colony fighter."

Heero's eyes slid from Quatre's face to examine the faces of everyone present. "I see." What he saw wasn't strongly positive, what he considered to be a level one acceptance, a beginning. It was up to him to take it to the next level, which made him smile just a little. "This is beautiful," Heero said, looking around until he fixed his gaze on the taller, older man, his host, seated across the table from him.

Mill held him in a steely, Nordic gaze, and then smiled and gave him a nearly imperceptible nod. Go ahead.

"It doesn't make sense. Who would bring an enemy combatant into the elite corps?" Trowa commented.

"I would." Mill raised a hand. "It was not a particularly noble time for me, I'm afraid. I was depressed and drank too much."

Wufei pressed his hand. Duo thought he revealed more understanding in his dark eyes than he had ever seen him show before. His friend was in love, he decided, really and truly in love.

"I retained valuable contacts after the war, and was fortunate to be able to reward Heero with ever improving positions in the Sanc military, and hiding Heero's war activity."

Quatre cleared his throat. "That's all in the past now, a past that we should leave buried, to give everyone a fresh start, all right?"

No one objected and there were several gestures of approval.

"You said you didn't want to be a king," Duo said, not ready to drop every sensitive topic.

"That was true; I still don't." The prince looked around for a member of his staff. "Champagne for everyone, please," he requested. "Relena and I have an agreement that the rule will pass to her and from there to the other governing bodies, once everything is in place. Then she will become a figurehead with very little power left to wield. The most critical part, once I learned about the New Alliance plans to take control, was to keep Sanc's treasures out of their hands. Here we are. A toast!"

They all stood with him, glasses upraised. "To Sanc! To the colonies! To friendship!"

And again, the tension eased from the group now that the misunderstandings and ill-will were banked. Everyone felt they could speak more freely with Heero one of the players on their team.

"So, I suspected Duo was behind something…and as more and more events overlapped, I was certain something was afoot. So, Quatre, what did you do?" Heero asked.

Duo beat him to the answer. "He was in league from the beginning, even before I was involved, right Quat?"

"Guilty as charged!" The young man stood and took a little bow. "But I won't give away all my secrets, so don't ask me to."

Heero glared. "So, you didn't take anything? Just mastermind the heist and help the princess pack? Pack… wait!" Heero frowned as he thought hard. "What did you pack besides clothes?"

Quatre smiled, looking pleased that Heero had figured out so much. "Stock and bonds and crowns." He laughed aloud. "But it was crucial to get Princess Relena safely to my sister's estate."

"If I'd known what was going on, I could have helped," Heero said sadly.

"I'm so sorry, Heero, but not knowing where your affiliations lay, I couldn't take that chance."

"Let bygones be bygones," Duo said.

Quatre wasn't through apologizing, though. "Still, it was necessary that Heero didn't know what was going on, because I didn't know whose side he'd fought on. I did know that Relena would turn to him, her trusted bodyguard, first off if she learned an attack was imminent, and inadvertently spoil everything. I stopped her, so don't blame her, Heero. If there's anyone to blame, it's me, and I'm very sorry. I trust you now, of course."

Heero wasn't holding grudges. "Don't worry about it."

"I told her that plan just before we left, with the Governor of L2 at hand. He brought us the proof of Khushrenada's involvement."

"I want to hear more about that someday."

Quatre smiled impishly. "Someday."

"You can tell him how you got me involved with AOK," Duo said.

"The only way to force Khushrenada's hand was to set him up, so when he came to me with what at the time was a TV documentary idea, I thought immediately of Duo."

"Thanks, man."

"I knew you'd take his idea and run with it."

"Grow it into a monster, is what I did," Duo grumbled.

The sun hammered down on the stone and the men moved into the deeper shade of the trees and canvas umbrellas.

"All right, do I get to find out where the wealth of Sanc has gone?" Heero said.

"You have one hour, and then I'm going swimming," Trowa said.

Duo folded his hands behind his head and studied the clouds, white and towering, sharp against the clear sky. "Maybe a thunderstorm by late afternoon," he forecasted. "I thought it didn't rain here in summer."

"It won't," Mill told him. "Those are just for show, for _un_ _artiste peintre__, _ a fine painter."

"Who's going to start telling me where the wealth of Sanc has gone?" Heero repeated.

"Quatre Winner is keeping the securities safe—" Mill said.

"And what about you, Wufei? Besides having your hands on the best art and who knows what else from the palace?" Heero urged.

"Including the prince," Duo joked. That won him a dark glower from the serious Chinese man, but it also got him to answer Heero. Win-win!

"Except for the actual crowns, Quatre took those, I have hidden the Crown Jewels. The real ones. I built crates with secret compartments to hide and protect them." He swatted at Mill's hand, which had been pulling loose strands of silky, black hair from the band at his neck. "Stop that!"

"Remarkably heavy crates," Milliardo complained. "Reminds me, I have a sore shoulder that could use a massage."

"I'll bet that's just the beginning!" Duo laughed, causing Mill to laugh along with him.

Wufei's expression soured. "Such infantile behavior."

"Where did you get them?" Heero asked, trying to pry Wufei's attention away from his boyfriend. "I never knew the ones on display were replicas until Duo explained it to me."

"Some security," Trowa mumbled.

"The real ones were in the treasury building. Duo's friend, Hilde, carried them out through a tunnel," Wufei told him.

Trowa edged closer. "You might want to look over your maps."

Heero gave him a stern look. "I will."

"Now, don't start fights. We're all in this together, remember?" Quatre said.

"You were in the treasury!" Heero concluded, looking at Trowa now. "I kept an eye out for you at the circus and never saw you once."

"That's right." Trowa sat back, relaxed and glowing with self-confidence. "I stole the gold, so to speak." He flashed a toothy smile Heero's way like a taunt.

Quatre huffed. "You two! I'll tell it then! It was Trowa's job to take out the gold reserve, carrying it by train out of the kingdom to Paris."

"Paris- the time-honored host to governments in exile," Mill noted.

"Yeah, I found a note in my pocket that directed me to…just a second…I got it here. It says: 'bury the loot in the TK memorial rose garden, Paris.' I assume that's here on your property?" Trowa asked Milliardo.

"Yes. It's the safest place I know. Although I expect a few bars will make their way into the circus coffers. Oh, don't be coy."

"I'm not!" Trowa declared, blushing and looking even more bashful than before. "I thought about skimming a little off the top, but I haven't."

"How honorable you are!"

"Shut up! Are you telling me that it's still on the train? For anyone to steal?" Heero cried out.

"It's impossible to find," Trowa said. "I guarantee it."

"So can I and I can promise you that because there's an around-the-clock armed guard aboard," Mill assured them all. "My hand picks."

"Your men?" Heero asked warily. "Not Sanc military. Mercenaries?"

"White Fang. They loaded the train and have secured it, and will continue to stand guard nearby after it is buried."

"White Fang," Heero repeated. "That's fine then."

"And now that you and Duo are here," Trowa said, "You can help us hide the cash reserves. Digging holes is hard work."

"We can do that," Heero said.

"Give them a chance to digest, first!" Quatre said, signaling Heero return to his seat. "Trowa, you are being awful!" His adoring smile said the opposite, though.

"Yeah, bro'," Duo said in a sleepy voice. "Don't push us into hard labor just yet. I haven't even tested the pool."

"Then why don't you regale us with your story?" Trowa asked.

"Oh, it was nothing. Mine is the story of false jewels and a reality TV show heist, which was really just a decoy for all real stuff we were doing."

"You did one thing I hadn't planned for that made everything turn out right in the end."

"What's that?" he asked the mastermind.

Quatre rolled his eyes. "Duo! You asked me to invite Solo Solomon, the governor of L2, to the going away party."

"You know the governor of L2?" Heero asked, clearly surprised.

"Oh, yeah, I know everybody!" Duo crowed.

Wufei returned the conversation to the subject. "How was inviting that man important?"

"You mean besides distracting Relena enough to drag her attention off of his boyfriend?" Trowa guessed.

Milliardo let out an audible gasp. "God, I hadn't thought he'd done that on purpose!" he said. "Good for you, Duo."

Heero agreed, but he didn't say so. He'd reward his clever boyfriend later. He simply couldn't stop grinning.

"Did you know," Quatre went on, clearly having more fun telling Duo's story than Duo, "that he and Solo grew up together and that Duo never, ever used that connection to his benefit? Solo told me. And what's more, he brought the proof of Khushrenada's involvement in the New Alliance as well as other OZ sympathizers." Quatre stopped to give Duo a hug. "When he received my invitation, it was great timing, he said, which was why he delivered the proof personally. He hadn't counted on the princess being so personable and attractive, though. And she is just as taken by him. I expect they'll have an interesting future together."

With a little prompting from both Duo and Quatre, Heero took out the envelope Relena had given him and shared the contents with the others. There was nothing new, except the revelations where it was explained the Khushrenada front for the New Alliance take over.

"Mr. Treize Khushrenada, producer for the AOK Broadcasting Company—"

"Hold it!" Duo yelled over Heero. "AOK! That stands for **A**lliance **O**Z **K**hushrenada—am I right?"

"Damn, now it just seems obvious," Trowa groaned.

"It wasn't," Heero said. He rubbed his temples. "I thought _Duo_ was the criminal element to keep an eye on, while the worst offender was Khushrenada."

Quatre placed a hand on Duo's arm. "We all know you are a better man than you pretend to be."

Milliardo had returned to monitor the news feeds on his computer and noticed something of interest. "You won't believe this!"

"What?" Wufei was first to Mill's side.

"I'm getting several stories related to the reality show. Here's a headline: Khushrenada furious. Let's see… Reality show with working title of 'The Heist' has been the talk of the town."

"What town do you think?" Trowa asked.

"Not Sanc," Duo answered.

"Blah, blah…oh, here: Features a ringleader and his team of specialists—it doesn't give names, which is a good thing, I think. There's more: revolves around the planning and actual carrying out of a robbery… highlight centered on the robbery of the Sanc Palace."

"So, what's the news in that?" Duo groused. "Sounds like a promo material."

"I'm scanning another story. All right, here we go: New reality show plagued with problems."

Duo barked a laugh. "They don't know problems!"

"Ringleader leaves the booty and disappears… Not enough video for an entire season! Show is cancelled."

"Cancelled? Whatta loada crap! They weren't ever gonna make a show."

"What else does the story say?" Heero asked. "Do they give any other reasons for cancelling?"

Wufei had been reading ahead over Mill's shoulder, and answered, "Yes, they do. Very interesting."

"So, tell us!" Trowa said, voice raised.

"I will. Be patient! So, apparently some mogul at the top with the imaginative name of Lady Une- number one, get it?- was annoyed because the show 'glorified criminals'. I don't know if she was referring to the robbers or the New Alliance taking the palace," Wufei said with a sly smile.

"Whatta joke! Of course it's about that, it's a robbery!" Duo threw an arm over his eyes and leaned back.

Trowa patted his head, grinning, and crooned, "Don't cry."

"Fuck off!" Duo's words lacked vehemence and his swinging arm only managed to knock the offending hand away.

Milliardo straightened his back and flipped the bangs out of his eyes. "Breaking news! "

All heads turned his way, poised to listen. Trowa crossed his fingers and Heero could hear Duo whisper a prayer for Sanc.

"Troops from the L2 colony are leading the United Colony and Earth Sphere peacekeeping forces to remove the New Alliance from the sovereign city-state of Sanc, should the situation necessitate it."

"Kick ass, Solo!" Duo cheered.

"In a statement from Governor Solomon," Milliardo cast a smile at Duo from over his shoulder. "That is quite some connection you have, Duo."

"The man's got balls," Trowa admitted.

"Keep reading!" Heero ordered.

"Where was I? Oh, here: 'Sanc is the first step. If we let Sanc fall into NA control, so shall we all follow like dominos in a line! Today, it is the capital city and Sanc's palace, a symbol of peace everywhere, that is under siege. Tomorrow, may bring the fighting to your own doorstep, if we don't bring an end to this now, with no blood shed.'"

"Hopefully, no blood shed," Wufei said.

"So putting two and two together, that Lady Une character was probably trying to cover her ass by cancelling the show and backing away from a too-hot-to-handle situation."

"Yeah, she's trying to save the company more embarrassment," Trowa said.

Quatre, as bubbly as his drink said, "We did it! Your robbery worked, Duo; it saved Sanc! Stealing the crown jewels under the pretense of making a reality show would have allowed Khushrenada to acquire a great deal of wealth for the NA and blame it on you."

"They coulda tried! Good ole Solo! He sure called them on the carpet for starting a takeover." Duo glowed with pride.

"And you switched out the treasures for fakes so they wouldn't have gotten away with it no matter what!" Quatre added.

"So, is Sanc occupied at all?" Wufei asked.

"I'm trying to find out. There's no report that it is. All the movie crew has been arrested and their videos confiscated by the peacekeeping forces. Ah, this is it. Since Khushrenada's team was merely the precursor of the main forces, and the aim of getting the treasure was pretty much spoiled, it seems The New Alliance is not entering Sanc."

"No one killed."

"Not a one."

The breeze rustled the leaves of the aged olive trees, renewing the scent of thyme and lavender and mixing it with a briny tang. The six men gazed out over the cliffs to the deep blue sea beyond. A heavenly, peaceful view.

"Am I the only one thinking about the pool?" Trowa asked.

"No," his new lover remarked without moving an inch. "A swim would be delicious right now."

"Yeah, now that we know our country's not being invaded," Duo said, "we can kick back for a little holiday."

"For a day," Wufei remarked. "Remember, many of us have our roles in the resistance back at our home colonies. Oh!" He found himself dragged onto Mill's lap.

"At this stage, darling, I believe all of you are more valuable as fundraisers for the cause than as fighters."

"Well, I don't think one mission—" The rest of what Wufei had been about to say was lost in a passionate kiss, Mill demonstrating his skills at diplomacy, avoiding confrontation, and at silencing the opposition.

"Thank God," Trowa said. "The man was bringing down the party."

"Yeah." Duo nodded, sympathetic. He snagged a few carrot sticks and munched as he wandered over to where Quatre and Heero were searching for more relevant news stories. "Can we take a break yet?"

"I think so." Quatre turned from the screen. "I'd say that congratulations are in order, although we haven't all been identified, it won't be long before we are being vaulted to fame as the heroes of Sanc for saving the wealth of the Sanc Kingdom from the New World Alliance. That implies, of course, that we do return it all, promptly."

"The sooner the better. I'd rather not dig holes to hide it, if I don't have to." Trowa touched a finger to his brow in his own salute. "Here's to us!"

A chorus of male voices shouted, "Champagne!" and more glasses were raised in celebration.

"The fact that I can't walk straight is not keeping me from that pool," Trowa said. Quatre draped over his lap probably was, temporarily.

Leaning on Heero with Tiger tucked between them on the ground and an idyllic view, should have put Duo in a great mood. Heero could tell something was bothering the subdued man.

"Hey, what's wrong?" he asked.

Duo drew a deep, deep breath. "So, I'm fired, I guess. I've never been fired from a job. Man that is so messed up. I didn't get all that was coming to me either, what the contract promised! Standard 20 grand per person plus a daily budget. Now, I'm gonna be depressed."

"It'll all work out." Heero squirmed to make more room for the cat. "I should return the videos I took."

"What was that?" Duo asked.

"I have something that might cheer you up," Heero said.

"Can't you find a more private spot for…_that_?" Wufei asked.

"I wasn't thinking of… whatever you're implying_._"

"No, stop, 'Ro. I heard you. What about videos?"

Heero pulled out disc from the inner pocket of his jacket. "I have the video feed from your heist. Want to see it?"

"Yes!"

They all did. Their host called for a large-screen monitor to be brought out, while everyone pulled up their chairs.

Heero explained how he had collected all the surveillance recordings before leaving. "I didn't want them to be damaged in case there is evidence of the invasion. Then I noticed the camera coming off the roof and understood what it had been recording. I convinced the cameraman he wanted to keep his body parts more than the video, and he turned it over to me."

"Can everyone see?" Milliardo asked, adjusting the monitor so everyone could get a clear look, and then inserted the disc.

They watched as Duo slipped on the roof, and then caught himself.

"Sloppy, Maxwell. I taught you better," Trowa chastised him lightly.

"It was wet!"

"Oh look at him grin!" Quatre said, then laughed. "You are such a ham, Duo!"

They gasped when he hung in space.

"How many floors up were you?" Wufei asked.

"Too many," he replied.

They watched as he began his descent.

Wufei told him, "I bet that isn't as easy as it looks."

"You know it."

The rest of the video played out, giving them a good laugh when Duo took Heero's call concerning Hilde.

"I had no idea," Heero said.

Duo's image filled his pack with the replica treasures.

"Nice backpack," Mill pointed out. "Hilde carried an identical one. I had them made to my design. I think I could make a living designing carrier bags."

"You should," Duo agreed. "You could hire me to model them and do quality testing." He sighed deeply.

"Are you sorry to miss out on your TV career?" Heero asked him.

"Nah, too much trouble and preparation."

"Worse than that," Trowa said.

"Worse? Don't make it worse, bubba!" Duo wailed in mock injury. He startled Tiger when he dropped to the ground and rolled over her tail. "Ach! Cat attack!"

Heero leaned closer to Trowa and asked what he meant.

"If the media starts posting shots of him, and there must be shots of you, Duo, from other videos- tucked-in and out-of-sight braid or not- then, yeah, it's the end of Duo "Fingers" Maxwell in Sanc." After that pronouncement, Trowa wrapped his arms over his chest. "Sorry."

The combination of champagne, the heat, and fresh air worked its magic. Lethargy was taking over.

Fighting it, Duo stood, walked over to where Quatre was standing, staring out to sea. Duo stretched his arms over his head. "You know. I'd rather be a hero."

Heero embraced him from behind and nuzzled into his hair by an ear. "One 'Heero' is enough, I think."

He got an elbow in the ribs for his joke, but he could feel the suppressed laughter coming from his lover and knew he'd lifted his mood.

"When we go back to Sanc," Milliardo said. "I can assure you, both of you- Duo and Trowa- positions in the Elite guard. I want men in the palace Relena can count on for protection."

Trowa shrugged grandly. "I may be retiring from the workplace."

"Thank you for the generous offer," Quatre said quickly, always politic and polite. "He and I will discuss our future and let you know our decision, if you don't mind?"

"I'd expect that. And you, Duo?"

"Ditto—'Ro and I got some talking to do, but I can tell you, it sounds like an offer I can't refuse. Except…I ain't sleeping like a monk in those barracks!"

"No," Mill chuckled into a hand, "I suppose a few rules will need to change. Take your time making a decision."

Trowa threw back the dregs of his drink and gathered himself to stand close to the blond mastermind.

"We should do this more often," Quatre commented. His shimmering blue eyes settled on the circus man and he smiled. Stirred by the breeze, his soft, golden hair fell across his face- radiance like the sun.

"Yeah," Trowa drawled, then he added in a whisper, "But first, I'd like to sink my cock into your brilliance."

Quatre's expression indicated he wasn't opposed to the idea. He gave a self-conscious chuckle, saying, "You are drunk, aren't you?" His look of relief conveyed a feeling of "about time."

"It's fortunate that you can afford fine champagne," Mill commented. "I find it essential when seducing those with a taste for the finer things in life."

"Is that so?" Wufei mumbled as if he were waking out of a doze.

"Good intentions has to count for something, my dear, right?"

Wufei's face showed exactly what it counted for.

"Very good." Milliardo called for more champagne, but his staff had retreated to the cooler building. He retrieved the champagne from the ice bucket, held the cork, and twisted the bottle slowly until the air hissed out. He filled a glass, then another, then another until Wufei walked over and he gave one to him, poured one for himself.

"Oh, I forgive you for making such ridiculous asser…asser—" Wufei's tongue stuck, apparently slowed by an excess of alcohol.

"Assertions?" Mill prompted him. "Or do you wish to amend that further?"

"_Claims_." Wufei pretended to ignore his boyfriend's fingers loosening the tie from his hair and handed the brimming glasses to each of his friends. He shook out the slick hair and clicked his glass to the taller man's. "To you and me, Mill, and all our hero friends," he said.

It was terrific champagne, complex with depth and roundedness, dry as the air and with the finest bubbles, as the Chinese man knew it would be- everything about his lover he'd discovered was high quality. He'd never feel cheated.

"To heroes and reformed criminals alike!" Milliardo called out.

"To us!" About which they could all find something to celebrate.

"Now, my reward." Milliardo swung a complaining Wufei off his feet and carried him into the house.

"Oh, what the hell," Trowa groaned. "Just throw me in the pool. I'm going to be too drunk to swim."

"Come with me, then." Quatre took him by the hand and led him away.

Before they had gone two steps, Trowa tugged him to the side. "Changing room's this way."

"I haven't anything to change into!"

Trowa must have said something with his eyes or a whispered word, because Quatre colored pink. "Oh, well, it's so small a room."

Despite the accommodations, Quatre followed Trowa's lead this time.

"How much more room do they need?" Duo asked Heero, laughing.

Heero stared into his eyes. "We've got the entire lawn to ourselves. Is that sufficient for you?"

"You, me, the lawn… maybe a towel or two—what could be better?"

Meow!

"One less cat?"

* * *

We have reached THE END. Thank you for staying with me. I hope you enjoyed The Heist and found the story entertaining! You've been lovely readers. - KS


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